Prompt Fills
by soprano193
Summary: Collection of one shots that I post on Tumblr. Feel free to send me prompts, I'll fill them when I can! Latest prompt: two sentences. "I wish I could hate you." "You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."
1. No Space

_A/N: I have a bunch of one shots that I never post here, so I thought I'd make a collection! If anyone wants to see one, you can leave a prompt in the comments, or message me on tumblr (soprano193). Enjoy!_

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 **No Space**

How did kids do it? She had fallen asleep with her back to her husband, her arms wrapped around their sick daughter while he comforted their son. Now, Oliver's foot had found the middle of Castle's back, pushing her husband to the center of the bed. Elizabeth was facing the bathroom, her arm thrown over her head so she could reach Kate's ear. And she held onto it with all her might, pinching it between her thumb and forefinger as she drifted back to sleep.

As a result, Kate found herself closer to her husband than she had been in weeks. It wasn't either of their faults that their relationship had been put on a back burner. Between a case at work with a deranged serial killer that offered no leads, and taking care of their sick kids, she felt like they hadn't really talked in ages. Instead, they talked about her case, the kids, and household duties before falling into bed together and whispering a halfhearted "goodnight" as they both drifted off into dreamless slumbers. So it was strange now to find herself eye to eye with Castle.

His face was illuminated by the night light they left on her side of the bed, placed there at Beth's request. His eyes were open, studying her, and she almost wanted to ask him why he was up. The release of her ear reminded her exactly why he was up, and she let out an airy chuckle at her own expense. Now free, she moved her head closer to his, their noses touching. He lifted his head and pressed three light kisses in a row down her face, first on her forehead, then on her nose making her giggle, and finally on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her even closer to him, his eyes wandering over her face. "I've missed you."

She ran her fingers over his cheek, watching him lean into her touch. "Yeah. I was thinking of calling out tomorrow. Everyone knows the kids have been sick, it wouldn't be a big leap." She played with his hair. "I just want to sleep in, wrapped in your arms just once to make up for the week we've had."

"Mmmmm, I second that." His groan was deep, and she could feel it rumbling in his chest against hers. "Except maybe tomorrow we can do it without the kids. Take a nap while they're at school."

Her eyes grew wide, and she flicked his ear, the only movement she felt comfortable doing so she wouldn't jostle the other occupants of the bed awake. "Castle!" She hissed, jerking her head and indicating the sleeping body behind her. "There are little ears!"

He chuckled. "My intentions were pure! I meant a real nap, sleeping while I held you close to me. Get your head out of the gutter!" She laughed as he chastised her, his voice no louder than a whisper. She tucked her head beneath his chin, moving even closer to him, listening to his heartbeat. She felt him arch his back, pushing closer to her. "Your son has bony feet. He keeps pressing it into the same spot and it really hurts."

She chuckled softly. "Well, your daughter keeps pulling my hair, and that really hurts." She pecked him on the cheek. "I'll give you a backrub tomorrow though, take care of any knots you get tonight." She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she offered, something she knew drove him crazy.

"You promise?" His face lit up with anticipation as he looked down at her.

She laughed now, quieting only as she felt Beth stir behind her. "Yes, I promise." She lowered her voice to a whisper again. "You won't get any sleep with these monsters in bed with us. You should try to rest while you can."

Their lips met in a slow kiss, one that fused them together and removed the rest of the empty space between them. When they released each other she tucked herself back into him, wanting to stay as close to him as possible. "Goodnight, Kate. I love you."

She grinned against him. "I love you too." As his breathing slowed, she thought about his words. _I've missed you._ They hung in the air around her, echoed in the now silent bedroom. They had a busy week, but she couldn't use it as an excuse. She saw him every day. She had to do something to make sure he knew that she still cared for him too, shift the focus to him. Even just ten minutes at the end of their day to focus on them had the potential to make a difference. It annoyed her that it took him saying it for her to understand it, for her to realize why she was so short this week. As usual, he put words to her feelings when she couldn't. Because truth be told, she had missed him too.

 _Prompt: Things you said with no space between us._


	2. Unnecesary Force

**Unnecessary Force**

Her head was swimming. All the loose ends of this case were running through her head, repeating themselves to her in whispered voices, all talking at once. And it was giving her a headache. Staring at the murder board made her eyes hurt, and the words had started to blend all together. She closed her eyes and turned her head toward the sound of her two partners, who were bickering like children. "Don't you two have work to do?" She shot at them, raising her eyebrow and glaring in their direction.

Esposito shrugged. "I stared at that board for hours, and I can't figure anything out." He glanced at a clock. "And it's too late to re-interview anyone."

Ryan held up his stack of papers. "And we just finished going through Fallon's financials with a fine toothed comb. Nothing."

"We're just waiting on orders to go home." Esposito leaned back in his chair, immune to her narrowing eyes as she stared him down.

Kate sighed, brushing her short hair out of her face. She stared at the picture of their victim, Ben Fallon. His brown eyes stared back at her from the murder board, happy and full of life. He was mocking her. He was dead, and yet, he was mocking her. She stood up, throwing her leather jacket over her arm. "You two may be giving in, but I'm going to take a walk. I might have something when I get back."

Esposito waved her off, dismissing the idea. "Yeah, whatever. See you tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes at her partner, walking to the elevator and exiting the building. Something about the crisp fall air made the voices whispering in her head disappear, and for the first time in hours, she took a deep breath, and smiled. Her head was clear, and she wanted to enjoy this.

She headed toward Central Park, and walked along the pathways that she knew through and through. She used to come all the time with her parents. They had picnics, and they played games, sometimes just the three of them, sometimes with her cousins, aunts, and uncles. She and her cousin, Sofia, used to ride the carousel non stop, choosing their favorite horses each time. Kate liked a brown one with a green saddle so much, she had named it Polina.

As she walked the familiar path, she gazed up at the sky. Sometimes, she hated the city. Like right now. It wasn't too dark out, but dark enough that she should be able to see the stars. And yet, the city lights made that almost impossible. She loved surprising people with her knowledge of the constellations, and laughed as she remembered the flabbergasted look on Ryan's face when that knowledge helped to crack a case.

As she walked, looking up and hoping to see the smallest hint of a star, she heard feet shuffling behind her. She glanced over her shoulder until she could see the figure that was behind her in the corner of her eye. A man was following about fifteen feet behind her, and she felt her heartbeat pick up. Of course, she was armed, but it was hidden, and she didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention to herself. Besides, this park was huge, he could be going anywhere. He wasn't following her.

Or so she thought, until he made the left turn after her. And the left turn again. No, now he was definitely following her. She took a deep breath, and prepared herself mentally to take him down. He probably thought she was some sort of easy target, a thin looking girl still dressed in her business-casual work attire incapable of fighting back. Boy, was he in for a surprise. She hoped he'd give up stalking for good.

She slowed her own movements, continuing to walk, and watching him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't slow, and again turned right when she did. Three in a row is not a coincidence, not in her line of work, so when he is close enough to her, she turns on her heel, her right fist connecting with his eye. As he tumbled to the ground, she stood over him and moved her shirt, so he could see her service weapon. "Why are you stalking me?"

His hands were guarding his face from another one of her swings. "Please don't! I'm probably the best person to mug, I'll just give you whatever you want!" He fished around on his jacket pocket and pulled out a wallet, holding it out to her while he looked away. "Here, take it. There's about a thousand in cash in there, and I didn't see your face, so I can't report you. Go!"

Her stance relaxed as she saw the wireless headphones that were supposed to be wrapped around his head instead on the ground. "Why the hell do you have that much cash on you?" She hissed, not wanting to bring any unsavory attention to this man.

"Because I'm rich! I'll give you my pin too, just take the wallet and leave. Don't hurt me again." He pleaded with her, his hands still covering his face.

She lowered her hand in offering. "I won't. I'm not mugging you." He finally lowered his hands and took a good look at her. He was handsome, rugged looks and a chiseled jaw, and somehow strangely familiar, though she was sure they had never met. He took her hand, and she helped him up. "I thought you were following me."

He shook his head violently. "Of course not! No!" He smiled, and Kate could feel her heart melt with his boyish charm. "No, I got home and my mother was… entertaining. I decided to take a long walk to scrub the image from my brain."

Kate bit back a chuckle. "You are rich, but you still live with your mother?"

"I can't make her leave!" She had to laugh at that, feeling somewhat crummy for laughing at his expense. He brushed off his pants. "So where were you going?"

She shrugged. "I hadn't decided. Just wherever the night took me. What about you?"

"The carousel." as he answered she realized that the carousel was exactly where her brain was taking her. "It reminds me of better times, when it was just me and my daughter." He explained.

"Yeah, I used to play there too. How old is your daughter?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Fifteen."

She gawked, her mouth falling open. "There's no way you have a fifteen-year-old."

He grinned, his chest puffing out with pride. "I do, and she's incredible. I'm not quite sure where she came from though."

He rubbed his eye where her fist had connected. She reached for him then, a new wave of guilt washing over her. "I'm so sorry! How bad does it hurt?"

He chuckled. "I mean, it's not the first time, but definitely not the most pleasant. You've got a nice arm!"

She laughed at the compliment, relaxing a bit. "Well I'd love to make it up to you. Maybe a cup of coffee?"

"Sure. My name is Rick, by the way. Rick Castle."

Now she knew why he looked so familiar. She had every single one of his books, and had seen him on the back covers more than once. And now she felt even more awkward, because not only had she punched someone, but it was a famous someone. "Kate. Kate Beckett." She stuttered, thrusting out her hand. They shook, and she shifted on her feet. "I actually have to get back to something, but there is free coffee at my job if you want to come with me?" She offered it out to him, her hand already fingering the business card in her pocket in case he declined.

He grinned, the smile stretching across his face. "I'd like that, Kate."

When he helped them find a crack in the stupid case, she reluctantly allowed him to stay. When he brought them a fancy new coffee machine, she knew he was staying for good. When he learned her coffee order, she knew he was hers. And let's just say, they had the most adorable "how we met" story at the nursing home.


	3. Sick Day

**Sick Day**

Her voice was going. It wasn't gone yet, but she could feel it, the familiar tickle in the back of her throat. And she could hear it, hoarse and giving out every few syllables. It seemed to only be noticeable to her, not bad enough to alarm the boys, so she continued to work.

Her body started aching. It started as a dull ache in the base of her skull, causing her to roll her head around on her shoulders. Her voice was definitely more noticeable now, and she felt like she had to shout to be heard. But the phone calls continued as she searched for him.

By the time she went on the talk show, she was running on fumes. Her voice was worse now as she got more desperate, shouting at foreign embassies by day and crying herself to sleep at night. It did nothing to help. She ached all over, refusing to pull herself out of her chair at work unless she really needed to, sending the boys to chase down suspects while she went over paperwork, sneaking some of her own casework in when they were gone. And she was exhausted, unable to sleep without him by her side or plagued with unending nightmares of him in the car, or them both in the car, or even one disturbing one where she saved him but his clothes burst into flames anyway while she looked on, powerless to stop it.

Her appetite was gone. She shoved a protein bar down her throat every once in a while, whenever she had that sinking realization that she couldn't remember the last time she ate. He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't have wanted her to fall apart without him. Where was that tough, strong, and stubborn woman he had fallen in love with? This was why she put up walls, why she didn't let people get close. Once she began to depend on them, she was lost when they left, and hated herself for it, hated how weak she could become.

She trudged into the precinct one morning, hair disheveled, bags under her eyes, a mug of herbal tea gripped so tight in her hand that her knuckles where white. She sat at her desk and opened her notepad, a whole page of numbers to call, her last chances of finding Castle. If one of these didn't turn up a lead, she was done, out of ideas. If Castle was here, he'd have some crazy theory, one that would get her thinking look for something else, something she wasn't seeing now. She almost laughed at the irony. Almost.

"Beckett, what are you doing here?" Esposito had rolled his chair up next to hers. No one dared to sit in Castle's chair. No one even touched it, except that poor janitor, who hadn't shown up for work again since. In fact, people tended to even avoid that side of her desk, as if they were afraid of the empty space.

"Working. Why do you ask?" Her voice came out in a whisper, despite her best efforts, and she rolled her head around her shoulders again.

"Go home, Beckett."

She bit back tears as she shook her head. Home wasn't home anymore, and she couldn't even go to her apartment without seeing reminders of him there. "I can't. I have to calm these numbers."

Ryan appeared out of nowhere, plucking the notebook from in front of her and looking at the page. "I can do that." He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Gee, you have nothing to do. Might as well go home, get some rest. Come back when you're feeling better."

She rolled her eyes, letting out an exaggerated huff. "I feel fine." She countered, trying so hard to appear normal.

"Beckett, we are trained detectives. You may have hidden your relationship from us, but you can't pull the wool over our eyes this time." Esposito told her, shooting her a knowing glance.

"When's the last time you looked in a mirror? You look terrible." Ryan card from his desk.

"Thanks." She deadpanned, the smallest smile creeping across her face. "I just need to bring him home. I'll be fine after that."

"We want to bring him home too. That guy was like a brother to us." Ryan assured her, marking the page in the notebook and locking it in his drawer. She couldn't get to it now. She wanted to be furious. But she sometimes forgot that they cared about him too, that this was killing them, and that they were capable of calling a few numbers to bring him back. And they were just doing what little brothers did best, driving her crazy and looking out for her.

"I can't sleep." She finally said, her hands coming up to wipe the tears from her face as they fell. "I can't sleep at his place because it all reminds me of him, and I can't sleep at my place because I never really could." No, once they became we, her bed seemed oddly empty any time she went home. Sometimes she would call him, listening to his voice as she imagined him pressed up against her. It wasn't enough, and now she didn't have that option. "Rest is supposed to help you heal, but how can I get rest if I can't sleep?" She shook her head. "No, the fastest way I can get better is by bringing him home."

Javi sighed, annoyed. "Do you really think that once he's back this will all stop? The nightmares, the uncertainty, it will all still be there. And if you're still sick, he's going to take care of you, and you're going to feel guilty about that."

Ryan nodded, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. "And he's going to feel guilty for making you that sick."

"You don't want that." Esposito agreed. "The best thing you can do for him is to take care of yourself, so you two can get back on track." He flashed her a smile. "We've got the list, and we've got your back. Go home."

She knew they wouldn't let her say no. Ryan was sitting in front of his locked drawer, his arms crossed in front of him, almost daring her to try and get her notes back. She bit the inside of her cheek and stared them down. When she could see that they weren't going to back off, she threw her head back in defeat. "Fine!" She blurted, standing up and tossing her jacket over her arm. She looked toward Ryan. "But I want an update no later than eight about what happened when you called those numbers."

Ryan nodded, and she ignored the triumphant look on his face. "I'll call you at seven-thirty."

She headed into the Captain's office. She was somewhat annoyed that Gates looked relieved that Kate was going home. But the Captain had nodded, accepted what Kate had said, and wished her well, assuring her that the precinct would continue to run without her there. As she headed to the elevator, she heard Esposito call out to her. "Hey, Kate." She stopped and turned to look at him. He never used her first name like that. It meant he was crossing that line, traversing into the 'friend' territory instead of the usual 'co-worker' one. "Feel better, okay. And we've got you." She nodded once, her lips tightening into a small smile as she left.

She went to his place. Hers was too intimidating right now. That, and his case file was at her place, and she knew that if she went there, she'd concern herself with that instead of the rest she so desperately needed. She found one of his shirts and slipped it on, holding the front of it up so she could inhale the scent. It helped. She was running low on shirts like this though, it just wasn't the same once her scent had mixed in with his. She saved them for days like today, when she needed the rest. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number she had memorized, knowing that it would go straight to voicemail, like it always did. "You've reached the phone of Richard Castle, and if you are hearing this, it's because I'm currently on my honeymoon. I won't be taking any calls for the next two weeks, but I will try to get back to you after that. Please leave your name and number when I stop talking." It usually left her feeling better, more calm, and soothed her to sleep to listen to him talk. But today, after revealing to her co-workers and boss just how much she had deteriorated without him, she just found him infuriating. How dare he break her down? Why did she ever have to pick up his books? Why did she fall apart without him? Sometimes she felt like she would just be better off never meeting him.

She let out a strangled sob as she hurled a pillow down on the bed, over and over again. She shouted and screamed, letting out her frustrations before collapsing to the bed, hot tears running down her face.

The soft knock at the door had startled her. She thought no one else was home. The redhead pushed the door open, not waiting for a response. "Are you okay? I thought you were hurt, or something."

Kate let out a quiet laugh. "I'm as okay as I can be, just falling apart a bit. You?"

Alexis sat at the foot of the bed. Her eyes looked dark and weary, and Kate realized she hadn't been sleeping either. "I've been better." The teen answered truthfully.

Kate knew all too well how Alexis was feeling. It was the precise reason Kate had been avoiding the girl. To be this young and lose a parent wasn't easy, but she could only imagine how much worse it was knowing that Castle was out there somewhere, probably (and hopefully) alive, but they couldn't find him. "I'm sorry." Kate whispered out.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Stop apologizing." Kate looked up at her, dumbfounded. How did Alexis not blame her? She blamed herself, she blamed herself so much that she had avoided both the redheads like the plague. "It's not your fault some asshole kidnapped him. So stop blaming yourself."

"Of course it was my fault. If he had never met me, he wouldn't have shadowed me, and been with me on all those high-profile cases."

Alexis shook her head and moved closer to Kate. "Or, it could have something to do with my kidnapping. I had nothing to do with you or any of your cases, and it would have only been worse if he didn't have you there to help him out." She cocked her head to the side, trying to make Kate look at her. "And have you met my father? He's a bit impulsive."

"A bit?" Both women laughed at Kate's response. She inhaled sharply through her nose, clearing it so she could breathe again.

"Yeah, just a bit. But you do a great job of keeping him safe. I don't know where he would be without you." Alexis reached out, grabbing Kate's hand and laying on her side next to the older woman. "I trust you with him, Kate. Ever since you got him and Grams out of that bank, I knew he was safest with you. That's how I know this isn't your fault." Kate finally met Alexis' blue eyes, which welled with tears. "So don't blame yourself, okay?"

"Okay." Kate choked out as she closed her eyes. She adjusted her head on the pillow. "I'm exhausted."

"Me too." She heard the young girl yawn.

When Alexis shuffled to leave, Kate tugged on her hand. "You don't have to, if you don't want to." She regretted the words almost as soon as she said them, worried that she would make the teen uncomfortable. "I mean, I feel closest to your Dad when I'm here, in this room. If you want to stay, I'm not opposed."

Alexis stilled, squeezing Kate's hand a bit tighter. "I'll try it." Kate smiled at the words and loosened her grip on the hand. Alexis didn't loosen her grip, and Kate was glad for the human contact. When she heard the light snoring from next to her, she smiled. If she wasn't legally a member of the family, at least she had moments like these. This was her last coherent thought before she finally drifted off.

* * *

 _Prompt: Set after the season 6 finale when Castle is still missing. Kate gets really sick while she's searching for Castle, maybe bronchitis, and Ryan and Espo have to convince her to take care of herself._


	4. Please Don't Argue

**Please Don't Argue**

What was it about her husband being gone on book tours that made her kids misbehave? It seemed like as soon as he was gone, they worked together to make her life difficult. Sometimes, it made her question her competence as a mother. She was strict, more strict than Castle, and she struggled when he wasn't around to find a balance. He had pointed out to her one day that she tended to question them like they were suspects, hard and unrelenting, causing them to either shut down (Elizabeth) or act out (Oliver). Today was worse than usual. Oliver had been in a fight at school, causing her to leave work early to pick him up. He kept insisting it wasn't his fault, and yeah, the other kid pushed him down, but he either can't remember or doesn't really know who threw the first punch. "It all happened so fast, Mom." He explained from the backseat, his hazel eyes meeting hers in the mirror.

"Do you know what this means? It means you will be branded as a troublemaker. Now any time there's trouble, your teachers are going to look at you. Is that what you want, Oliver?" She fought to keep her voice level.

"But I'm not a troublemaker!" He blurted from the back, his eyes wide as he yelled out in protest. "I'm not, I swear!"

Kate sighed. "I know that, but your teachers look at your track record, and a fight doesn't look good."

"I promise never to fight again. I swear, Mom, it won't happen again." He whined from the backseat, a sound that still sent chills down her spine. She hoped he would soon outgrow that habit.

"Oliver, I can't understand you when you talk like that." She listened to him huff. He knew as well as she did that it was a load of crap, but he stopped, quieting down and relaxing into the seat. Kate tightened her hold on the steering wheel. "Here's the deal." She started, speaking firmly but not raising her voice. "We are going to the precinct. You are not to play with your uncles, they know why you are there and what happened. You will sit in the break room with my pad and a pencil, and you will write one apology note to Justin, and one to your teacher."

"Mom! Not fair!"

She scoffed. "Yes, it is fair! You hit a boy and took extra time out of your teacher's day! They both deserve apologies!"

"But Justin hit me too!"

"And I am your Mom, not Justin's. She will punish him how she wants to." She could hear her son muttering something under his breath. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

She shook her head. "You know better. I tell you what I'm thinking, so it's only fair you do the same."

He sighed. "I said, Justin's Mom won't do anything to him."

Kate shrugged. "Oh well." That just meant her son would stay out of trouble in the future, and that Justin would be more likely to end up across from her in the interrogation room.

At the precinct, she set him up in the break room while she caught up on paperwork. He worked away for hours, or at least she thought he did. It wasn't until her Dad dropped off Elizabeth, like he did every day around four, that she realized he had been doodling the whole time.

"Mom! Look at the cool pictures Oliver drawed!" Beth enthused, bouncing on her toes, her blue eyes wide and bright.

She sighed. "Yeah, they're cool, but he was supposed to be writing letters." She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her daughter's ear as she picked up her notebook. She looked at him, hoping her disappointment came through in her expression. "You will finish this at home."

Before they could get there, they had to stop to pick up a gift for Beth's friend Theresa, who was having a birthday party in two days. Which of course triggered a tantrum in the four year old, because Kate wouldn't buy her something too. She had to drag the screaming child out of the store, Oliver clutching on to the bag and his Mom's wallet, her face thoroughly red.

At home, Oliver continued to screw around, refusing to write until she was literally standing over him, watching his every move. He had inherited his father's creative streak, and much of his schoolwork had monsters and race cars drawn in the margins. He finished them, his halfhearted apologies written in his messy scrawl on the yellow pages, and handed them to her so she could put them in envelopes. She released him to make dinner, mac and cheese with hot dogs, something simple. The two of them fought over who got to sit in Castle's chair. The fact that it was his clearly made it that much cooler than every other chair in the loft.

They picked on each other all through dinner, Beth kicking Oliver under the table, while he flicked the condensation from the outside of his cup at her, each action making the other kid yell or whine or cry. And she really couldn't take it anymore.

She had to remind herself that it wasn't her. Their routine was disrupted with Castle gone, and they acted out. But she was frustrated and exhausted, and didn't feel bad about sending them both to bed an hour early, not one bit.

She curled herself up on the couch, a tall glass of wine in one hand, and the latest Nikki Heat book in another, and got lost in her husband's words. So lost, that she almost didn't hear her phone ringing on the table next to her, Castle's smiling face flashing in the screen. She smiled for the first time that day as she picked it up. "Please tell me you're coming home early."

"Uh, yeah actually. How did you know?" His confirmation had her smile growing, the warmth in her stomach spreading across her body.

"I didn't, I just guessed. I've had a crazy week, and I just can't wait to see you." She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her elbows on them as she talked.

"Well it's your lucky day. I should be home in about an hour. I can kiss the kids goodnight and everything."

She shook her head, not that he could see it. "They're in bed already."

"Oh." She could hear the disappointment in his voice, and felt somewhat guilty, like she was keeping his children from him.

"I mean, you can kiss them if you want, I just don't know how responsive they'll be."

She heard him chuckle. "They must have been hellions."

She laughed at that, the sound bursting from her chest. "Something like that. We'll talk when you get here."

"Okay. See you soon. I love you."

"Love you too." It still amazed her how her heart fluttered every time he said those three words, even after all these years together. She put the phone back down and returned to her book, a peace settling over her as she awaited her husband's return.

She didn't get as caught up in it this time, and was up before the door closed, her arms wrapping around his neck as she crashed into him, almost knocking him over. She pressed her lips to his urgently, his head held steady in her hands as she peppered kisses across his jaw. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. "I'm not complaining, but could I actually get in before you attack me?" He teased between their kisses.

She pulled away, meeting his blue eyes with hers. "Castle, I have spent all day fighting with murder suspects and both of our children. I missed you, and I want to unwind. Please don't argue." Her lips meant his again before he could answer.

He didn't argue. He spent the night agreeing with her instead.


	5. Ringtone

**Ringtone**

She hadn't noticed him playing with her phone until they were already back at the precinct. She snatched it out of his hands as soon as she saw him with it. "What do you think you're doing?" She snapped at him, checking her Facebook and Twitter to see if he had posted something embarrassing.

He feigned innocence. "Nothing, Detective. Just seeing your high score on Flappy Bird." She double tapped the home button and saw that for once he was telling the truth, and Flappy Bird was the last notification he had opened. She rolled her eyes at him and shoved the phone in her pocket. "I deleted it from my phone, and I just wanted to have some fun. No worries, I didn't beat you." He teased.

She shook her head and got out of the car. "You know, I haven't played that game in ages, I should get rid of it."

"No!" He shouted at her, pleading. "It's fun! And once you delete it you can't get it back. Don't do it!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll keep it on there for you, but don't take my phone without asking to play, deal?"

His triumphant grin stretched across his face, and she found herself fighting to keep her serious expression. "Deal," he agreed. They walked together into the precinct, and he sat in his chair, watching her from behind as she added things to the murder board while she pretended not to notice him staring.

"What did you two find out?" Esposito's voice shook them from their moment, and Kate stood up straight.

"Not much." She answered truthfully. "Liz and Hannah alibied each other out, they were both out of state at a Bruno Mars concert." She pointed to the pictures of the younger women that she had placed under the heading 'of interest'. "Did you find anything interesting in the victim's financials?"

"Yeah, actually." Ryan took the files from Esposito's hands, and passed them to Kate. "There was a large cash withdrawal four days before time of death, but sweeps of the house didn't show any money laying around, and he didn't have it on his person." Kate glanced at their highlighted sections, and read their notes in the margins, preparing to write it all down on the board.

"That, and his mother says he hasn't really purchased anything of value over the last few days, so we haven't really been able to follow the trail." Esposito added.

Kate ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Okay. Well we need to do some digging. Gates has been on our asses about this case for the last three days and we're no closer to solving it."

"We're trying." Ryan affirmed.

As if on cue, Gates stood up in her office and started walking towards them. She had been watching them converse, and probably thought they were closer to a break than they actually were. As she got within earshot, Kate's phone began to vibrate in her pocket. But it wasn't her normal, work appropriate ringtone. No, instead, Oh Fortuna came blaring from her pocket. She raced to turn it off, but was clumsy in her confusion. She managed to see Castle's name appear on her screen before she turned it off. She glared in his direction, becoming angrier as she saw the impish grin on his face. And the boys weren't helping either, each physically holding back their laughter with their hands covering their mouths.

"That's a new one, detective." Gates started, calmly.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know when that happened."

Gates raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Well, please assure me that it won't happen again."

Kate felt the heat come rushing to her cheeks as she was reprimanded. "Of course. Let me get you caught up." She managed to maintain her dignity while she caught her boss up on the case, assuring her that she would work her hardest to find a break in the case. As Gates left, she glared again at her partner, who was now laughing silently to himself. "Seriously, Castle? Just playing Flappy Bird?"

He laughed. "You should have seen your face!" He got high fives from the boys, who were now laughing openly, impervious to her deadly looks she shot in their direction.

"Don't you two have paperwork or something?" She asked, annoyed that they were egging him on.

"Oh, come on Beckett! It was funny!" Esposito pleaded, but one raise of her eyebrow told him she was not amused, and they dropped it, retreating to the break room together.

She sat at her desk, the new information in front of her, and looked again at Castle, who was watching her with mirth. "Well forget it. I'm definitely deleting Flappy Bird now."

His face fell. "No! Beckett, that's so not fair!"

She laughed at him. "You should have thought of that before you changed my ringtone." She opened her phone and fiddled with it, not really deleting the app because she knew he would want to play it eventually and she had a decent score, but looking up anyway, telling him, "It's gone." She then changed her ringtone back to the boring, work appropriate one it had been.

He shook his head at her. "You're no fun, detective."

She smirked at him and began poring through the financials, hoping to find a link anywhere that would give them a break. There was one thing her partner didn't count on though, and that was her need for revenge, because this was war. A few days later, she stifles her laughter in the crowded precinct as she calls him, and Barbie Girl starts blasting from his pocket.


	6. Homecoming

It was a long day of meetings and signings, and driving along the east coast, but he was home. He was weary but glad to finally be back. But when he got to his door, he was perplexed. Castle wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried to hear complete silence coming from the inside of his home. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. Usually he returned to hear music from whatever Beth's latest Disney obsession was, while Oliver told wild exaggerated stories about his day, much like his Father. Silence was different, and wasn't always a good sign.

Upon stepping into the loft, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Nothing was broken, the toys were picked up for the most part, and all of their jackets and shoes were there. Liam's stroller and other supplies that Alexis had dropped off with him were next to the stairs. But it was silent. He wasn't sure if he liked it.

He slipped his shoes off and went to the kitchen, deciding he needed a glass of water before he decided to investigate. They could be upstairs, playing with toys in Beth's room. He reached into the cabinet and clutched his hand around… Nothing. The other glasses were there, but his glass, the one Alexis and Oliver had painted for him a few years back, was not in the spot it was in every day.

This night just kept getting stranger. He searched through the cabinet for it. Maybe it got pushed further back. But as he searched he found nothing but plain glasses. He didn't find it in any of the other cabinets either. He didn't even see it in the strainer, or on the counter. How does someone misplace a glass? He settled for one of the plain ones, sucking down his water quickly and returning to his investigation.

As he started up the stairs, he heard the soft cries of a little one coming from their bedroom. He switched courses, turning around and heading straight toward the noise. "Hey Kate, have you seen my…?" He stopped talking at the sight in front of him. Curled up on his wife's chest was his fiery haired Grandson, Liam. Kate had her hand on his back and was gently stroking up and down the infant's spine, whispering soft words that were meant just for him. Oliver, their six year old, was sprawled out on Castle's side of the bed, his arms up above his head and his legs contorted in some shape that looked like they would never come untangled. And their two year old, Beth, was in between her mother and brother, curled up on her side facing Kate, one arm wrapped around her worn stuffed elephant and her other thumb in her mouth. Castle grinned, walking over to Kate's side of the bed and kneeling next to it. She turned her head and met his eyes, a brilliant smile on her face. He reached out and grabbed her other hand, threading his fingers through hers. "Long day?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, we went to the park, they tired themselves out. But they didn't want to leave Liam out, so they came in and talked to him and the next thing I knew, they both fell asleep!" She whispered, the laughter evident in her tone even at it's quietest level. "What were you looking for?"

He shrugged. "My glass, but it really doesn't matter right now."

Her eyebrows knotted together as she looked at him, worry etched into her features. "I'm sorry babe, but it broke today." His heart hitched at her words. It was a custom made glass from his kids, irreplaceable. He knew it was an accident, but it didn't make it any easier to accept. "Elizabeth was helping me put dishes away. She dropped it. She felt so bad afterward, Castle."

"It's okay." He soothed. He remembered breaking one of his mom's picture frames when he was younger. He didn't want Beth or Kate to feel guilty for something so small.

"I got Oliver on the phone with Alexis though, and she assured him they'd make another one as soon as she comes back from her trip." She explained, her hand caressing his cheek.

Castle grinned. "I'll look forward to receiving it." He chuckled. "And I won't mention it. No need to reopen any wounds.

She chuckled and let her hand fall from Liam's back. He let out a content sigh, turning his face toward his Grandpa. Castle ran his fingers lightly over Liam's head, delighting in the small smile that flickered across the tiny boy's face. He looked back to Kate. "So, I guess I get the couch tonight?"

She laughed, making Liam squirm on her chest. "Yeah. I'm going to put him down in the bassinet in a minute, but I don't think you can make room in the bed without waking them."

He nodded. "And if I wake one I wake them all." The quick nod of her head assured him that they were on the same page. He leaned in and pecked Kate on the lips, her fingers running tenderly through his hair. "Well then, my dear, I bid you adieu."

She chuckled at him again, her other hand returning to the baby's back. "Goodnight, Castle. Love you."

"Love you too."


	7. Doubts

She could kick herself. All these years she'd been waiting for the perfect guy, her one and done, who would sweep her off her feet, and he's been right there. He's had her back for four years, there for her no matter what, and she didn't consider it. At least not seriously.

She didn't know what she was expecting when she showed up at his door, soaking wet. She didn't want to imagine what she would have done if he pushed her away, like she deserved. "I just want you." Is that the best she could come up with? His voice echoed in her mind, reminding her that he was unafraid to share his feelings. Why couldn't she do the same?

Their second round was not over as quickly as the first. They took the time, getting to know each other's bodies, learning what made the other one cry out or made their eyes roll back into their head. They whispered things that the other needed to hear. Castle's "I love you" echoed in her mind, and her "I need you" just seemed to pale in comparison. But it seemed like enough for him, as he kissed her deeper each time that she said it.

It was as he held her close after the round was over, their hearts seeming to beat as one, when he asked her the question she dreaded. "Why today? What changed?"

"Earlier today, when we argued, you said it again." She spoke softly, afraid to shatter this illusion she must be under, afraid to wake up from this marvelous dream. "You said that you love me, and I couldn't ignore it this time." His arm stiffened around her as she spoke, and she worried she had said the wrong thing. "I didn't want to ignore it last time either, I just thought it would be easier. I had to work on me, and if you knew that I heard what you said, it would just be added pressure on me to get to a place where I could be with you faster. Or I would have done this too soon and it would have crashed and burned. I never wanted to reject you, Castle, never." His arm relaxed, and started trailing feather light up and down her spine again, goosebumps popping up all over her naked body as he held her close. "The last few weeks I started to recognize something. I think I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified."

"Why?" His voice seemed hurt, like he didn't understand. "I won't hurt you, Kate."

She sighed, her voice hitching with unshed tears. "I'm not afraid of you, I'm afraid of me. I'm afraid I'll self-destruct and mess up everything we have. I'm afraid I'll never be good enough for you. I'm afraid that something else will come along and you won't want me anymore."

His hand stopped it's movements, wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer still, closer than she ever thought they could get. "I don't want anyone else, Kate. It's always been you." They were silent for a long time then, his breath slowing, and his heartbeat loud in her ear. She was about to drift off when she heard him again. "Marry me?"

She stiffened against him, not sure how to respond. Was he serious? She could hear his heartbeat pick up the pace, beating faster as he awaited her answer. He started to backtrack. "Nevermind, I'm being stupid. Forget I said anything."

"No!" Her voice was loud in his room. Her heart was racing as she leaned back to look at him. "It's not stupid. You've known about your feelings for at least a year now, probably longer. You love me, I get it." She paused, offering him a small but brilliant smile, trying to reassure him. Her hand cupped his cheek. "I'm still coming to grips with my feelings. I'm just starting to realize what loving you means, and how to do that. I need that time that you've already had." Her hand dropped from his face to his chest. "I love you. I think you're my one and done. Time is not going to change that. Can you give me some time to learn how to love you completely, and then try that again?"

His relieved grin lit up the room, calming her nerves. "You love me? Even though it's terrifying, you love me?"

She chuckled. "It's terrifying and exhilarating all at once, but yes, I love you."

"Then I can wait. But you better say 'yes' next time, Kate."

She laid her head back on his chest as she snuggled in closer, her eyes closing in preparation of sleep. "I will, I promise."

A year later, surrounded by their family and friends, her resounding yes made the room cheer.

* * *

 _A/N: The two sentences that inspired this were sent to me on tumblr._

 _I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified._

 _Marry me?_


	8. Why are you naked in my bed?

_This is set in my Toothbrush verse, so if you haven't read that this might be a little strange. But you don't have to have read it. just wanted to let you all know!_

* * *

It still felt strange, using his key. She still got permission each time she did. Sometimes her roommate drove her nuts and she wanted a place to sleep. Sometimes she just wanted a home cooked meal instead of cafeteria food. On those days she would call him, tell him she'd see him at his place, and wait for him to be done with any meetings or signings he happened to be at. She never once told her parents that she was spending her nights with a man, she'd never hear the end of it. They had met him, and they liked him, but they didn't need to know just how much time she spent over at his place.

But this time it was different. This time he had invited her. Which wasn't exactly uncommon, but it was the first time he'd invited her to let herself in. _I have to go pick something up, but if you'd like you can come to my place and wait for me and I'll bring you a surprise._ She was still learning how much fun his surprises could be. Once, he had ambushed her from around the corner in a glowing vest and goggles, tossing her one of her own. They chased each other all night with those things, making bets, talking smack, and taking each other down. Today, she could smell his surprise as soon as the door swung open, the odor from the kitchen making her stomach growl and her mouth water. So much better than cafeteria food. She kicked off her shoes at the door and followed her nose toward whatever he had prepared for them. She could see from her short journey into the kitchen that the dining room table was set, complete with a large bouquet of brightly colored flowers in the center.

The food was all laid out on the counters in the kitchen. Roast chicken, potatoes with cheese, salad with fresh vegetables, and acorn squash roasted with maple syrup. She had to stop herself from grabbing a fork and digging into that squash. It was clear that he had put a lot of work into this, and she didn't want to ruin his surprise. An impish grin stretched across her face as she made her way from the kitchen to his bedroom. She knew just how to thank him for his hard work.

After much deliberation, she decided that his bed was the best place for him to find her. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and she was wearing nothing but the necklace he had given her a couple of weeks ago, his latest book chapter spread out in front of her. Whenever he finished a chapter, he left it out on the side of his bed that she had claimed as her own. She would edit it, make some suggestions, and give it back. He did what he wanted with what she gave him and then sent the chapter to his editor. She was halfway through the chapter when she heard him trip over her shoes in the doorway. A grin stretched across her face as she repositioned herself and started twirling the red pen in her hand. He knew she was there, and he would start looking for her.

The look on his face when he entered the room made her heart flutter. She felt the blush in her cheeks spread through her entire body as he took in the sight in front of him. His mouth had dropped, his eyes flickering from her hair, to her legs, to the manuscript pages, and back to her face. He closed his bedroom door hastily behind him, looking over his shoulder as he did. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he approached the bed. "Okay, so I'm going to start by saying that this is, by far, the sexiest thing I have ever come home to." He sank down next to her, his hand running up her leg, sending chills up her spine. "But Kate, is there a reason you are naked in my bed?"

"To thank you. For dinner." She leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, but as soon as their lips touched, he pulled away. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she pulled back, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow in question.

"So you saw." He started, the question slow and deliberate.

"Yeah, dinner looked and smelled amazing."

He grinned, his chest puffing up with pride. "It is! But did you see the dining room table?"

She nodded, unsure of where he was going. "I mean, I saw the flowers. I didn't walk in and inspect it or anything."

"So you didn't see how many place settings there were."

As her brain caught up with what he was saying, her heart stopped. She looked at his bedroom door, and then back to him, throwing an arm across her exposed chest as if someone was going to burst in and find her there, naked in his bed. "Rick!" She hissed, her voice low. "You said you were picking something up, not _someone!"_

His eyes widened comically at her reaction. "I mean… I thought… I wanted to… I didn't want to ruin the surprise!" His voice was hushed as he stumbled over his words, and under different circumstances, she would find it adorable.

"Who is here then?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

His shoulders hunched up as he prepared for her reaction. This wouldn't be good. "My Mother."

Her mouth dropped as she jumped up, scrambling to find all of her clothing. She had only heard stories about the actress, who had been touring with one of her shows for the last few months. Rick had mentioned that she was coming back to town, but the discussion had stopped there. "Really Rick? This is the first impression I'm going to make?"

He chuckled as he found her pants, tossing them up on the bed. "It's really okay, it could be worse!"

"How could this be worse?" The look on his face would have made her laugh, like he was afraid to say the wrong thing and set her off. "You know what? No. Don't answer that one."

"Thank God." She heard him mumble, and despite her annoyance, she chuckled.

She managed to find all her clothing, throwing it on and smoothing out the wrinkles. "Do I look okay?" She asked him, casting a worried look in his direction.

He walked over and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Perfect, as always." He opened the door, letting her go out first. She felt her stomach leap up into her throat as she heard the jumpy show tune being sung in the kitchen. She wasn't expecting the bright red hair. That threw her off. That and the loud outfit that Kate never would have thrown together that somehow the older woman made look amazing. "Mother." When the woman turned to face them, Kate saw exactly where Rick got his blue eyes from. "This is Kate. Kate, this is my Mother, Martha."

Martha grinned as she walked over to embrace the younger woman. "Oh Katherine, it's wonderful to meet you. I've heard so much about you!" Even when she talked, the flair for the dramatic came through, causing Kate to smile and relaxing her nerves.

"It's great to meet you too." Kate pulled away from the redhead and walked toward the food, helping Martha put it all out on the table.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" Martha started, pulling out three wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.

Kate sat at the table, giving herself healthy portions of everything at the table. "Nope, just reading a chapter your son gave me to edit." Rick grinned at her as she said it and she shrugged. It was true enough. "He is a really talented author, you know."

Martha chuckled as she walked to the table, placing a glass of wine at each place setting. "I believe I still have a notebook filled with his short stories somewhere."

"Do you really? I'd love to read them again, see how I've improved." Rick sat across from Kate, leaving Martha the seat at the head of the table. Kate breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation relaxed. This was going great! So much better than she had originally feared.

"I'd be happy to give it back to you. Or maybe to Kate, I'm sure she'd like that."

Kate grinned, nodding her head as she took a bite of the squash. "I'd love that! I'm sure the stories are adorable."

"From what I remember they are, except for this one about finding a body in the woods. I don't know where you came up with that one, Richard." She glanced between the two of them again. "Are you sure I wasn't interrupting anything earlier?"

"No you didn't, Mom, it's okay." Rick assured her. Kate only nodded, trying to control the heat she could feel rising to her cheeks. She took a sip of wine. She could always blame her blush on that.

Martha sighed, turning to face Kate. "Well then, I'm sorry to tell you this dear, because I know it's awfully embarrassing, but your shirt has been inside out all day." Kate looked to her shoulder, panicked. Sure enough, she could see the seam. She couldn't blame her blush on the wine this time. "I'm sorry, I just thought it would be better to bring it up now than to have some stranger point it out later."

"Thank you." Kate responded. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom and fix this really quick. Be right back." She stood to leave, not making eye contact with either person at the table. Yep. This was going great.

* * *

prompt: Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?


	9. Pranks

"Don't react. Don't react, and it will all be okay." Kate gripped the sides of the sink until her knuckles turned white, rage staring back at her from the mirror. All he wanted was a reaction, and she wasn't going to give that to him. Castle's gentle knock on the door only spurred her anger and frustration on.

It all started with him. A group was piloting a celebrity mentor program in the city, and was wondering whether or not he would be interested in participating. As soon as he got the email he was talking to her about it, getting her advice and asking for her permission. "Do it." She had told him, her smile soft on her lips. "I mean, you want to, right?"

He nodded with enthusiasm, his blue eyes shining with delight. "I really do. I think it would be great!"

"So why are you asking my permission?" She pressed on, somewhat concerned. She wasn't that type of fiancee, she wasn't one to deny him what he wanted, within reason. This was entirely within reason.

His look became sheepish, and he focused his gaze on her shoulder rather than her eyes. "Well, a lot of my life involves you, including my writing process." It dawned on her, what he was asking her. "I mean, I don't expect you to let a minor accompany us to crime scenes, or watch an interrogation. But maybe they could see some of the other stuff you do behind the scenes, or you could talk to them about a career in law enforcement?" His eyes traveled up to meet hers, to see how she was processing the request. "I mean, the kid would be shadowing you with me, but we'd give them the PG tour."

Her mind raced as she considered it, all the obstacles that they would have to overcome before they could make it happen. She took in a deep breath, before answering. "I'm okay with it." His response was pretty much what she expected, a fist pump and a triumphant smile. "But," she continued, getting his attention again, "the kid's parent has to approve. And I need to clear it with Gates."

His nose wrinkled at the thought. "She'll veto it."

"No she won't! The department has hosted numerous mentor programs. I just can't spring it on her." Her hand found his and squeezed it tight, reassuring him that he could still do whatever he wanted to do. "Go contact them, get matched with a kid. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

He pulled her head toward him, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Thanks." He hopped up from bed then, jogging to the office, where his computer rested on his desk.

Within three days he had a match. A thirteen year old boy named Jesse would be following him around. His mother had approved the visits to the precinct via email, which Castle had proudly shown her the moment he received it. They scheduled a meet with the boy in a neutral setting, a coffee shop near his school. He entered in his uniform, his dark hair slicked back, green eyes searching them out. Castle lifted his hand and waved. "Jesse?" The boy looked in their direction and grinned, making his way over to the table. He shook Castle's hand first as he sat, offering a shy wave in Kate's direction.

"So you're Richard Castle. My Mom loves your books." He dropped his bag to the floor and kicked it under his table. "I kind of wondered if you'd look as good in person as you do on the back cover."

"Well?" Her fiance puffed out his chest, his body swaying, unable to hold itself upright with his giant head.

The teen looked him up and down, taking his time to take the writer in. Kate saw Castle's confidence falter under the teen's steady gaze. Jesse leaned back in his seat when he was done, crossing his arms and making a show of the shrug in his shoulders. "Eh."

Kate snorted at that, and enjoyed watching her fiance's ego shrink back to a normal size. The boy was smirking, his arms crossed over his puffed chest, one eyebrow raised with mirth.

The barista spoke from the counter behind them. "I have coffee here for Kate and Rick."

Castle moved to get it, but Jesse stood, casting an apologetic look in his new mentor's direction. "Allow me."

"Thank you, Jesse." Kate replied, her smile genuine and soft. As the boy left, she watched her fiance shoot her a look of displeasure. She rolled her eyes, her hand playing with her ring as she sat idle. "He's a kid, and he's teasing."

The way he crossed his arms looked reminiscent of him being scolded, his petulant expression one she fully expected to see their kids some day.

"That doesn't mean he has to be mean."

Her eyes rolled back in her head again. "Please, stop being so sensitive."

Conversation ceased when Jesse returned, placing coffee cups in front of each of them. "I've never tried coffee, is it good?"

Castle shrugged his shoulders, lifting his cup to his lips. "Everyone makes id different, depending on their personal tastes. I like mine black with a few sugars." He pointed at Kate's untouched cup. "She likes hers with a whole lot of milk and no extra sugar."

She reached for her cup, her hands warming up on the cardboard. "Mine is a latte, so the kind of coffee is a little different than Castle's coffee." She put the cup to her lips, allowing the warm beverage to coat her tongue. And she had to force herself not to spit it out. The look on Jesse's face meant she didn't have to look far to find the culprit. She grimaced as she swallowed, pushing the cup as far away from her as possible. "There's salt in this." Castle took a drink from the cup, his nose wrinkling as he confirmed it. "Oh God, that was disgusting." The boy next to her was doing a pretty good job of keeping a straight face. If she hadn't spent years interrogating suspects, she would have missed the subtle tug upwards that the corners of his mouth were making, and the fight to keep them down. She pushed the cup toward Jesse, who refused to meet her eye. "Good one," she started, causing him to look up, "but see, there's a difference between you and my friends. When they prank me, they know not to mess with my coffee." She raised one of her eyebrows, hoping to instil some fear into the young man.

He grimaced, pulling the cup toward his chest. "Sorry, I'll remember that." He grabbed the cup. "I can go see if they'll make you another one!"

Kate sighed. "Thank you." She pulled a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and gave it to him. "Get yourself something too. Leave the rest as a tip."

She ignored Castle's raised eyebrows as she shoved her wallet into the pocket of her jacket. The smirk on her fiance's face wouldn't go away though, not even when she pulled out her phone and threatened to beat his score on Fruit Ninja. "It was just a harmless prank, okay?" Her voice was a stage whisper so they wouldn't attract the attention of the boy.

"Whatever you say." Jesse was making his way back toward them, Kate's new drink in his right hand and his frozen thing in his left. As he got close though, she saw him lurch forward, his frozen drink landing in her lap, the coffee and chocolate spilling out all over her pants.

"I'm so sorry!" He kept repeating it, placing her hot beverage on the table and reaching for napkins. "I swear, it was an accident!" He ran to the bathroom and returned seconds later, armfuls of paper towels in his hands. "Oh my God, Kate, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it was an accident." She placed napkins in her lap, to cover the stain. Her jacket would be long enough to cover it when they left. "I'm just glad it was your frozen drink and not my hot latte."

"That would stink." He agreed. Castle gathered the remnants of the drink and brought them up to the counter, muttering something about making the baristas angry. Jesse sat next to her, his hands folded in front of him. "So, my Mom told me you were a cop. Are you really going to take me to the station?"

"I mean, we were thinking about it, if that's something that interests you."

He nodded enthusiastically, his green eyes dancing with anticipation. "That sounds so cool!"

Castle had made his way over to them, a new drink in his hand for Jesse. "What are you two talking about?"

"We were thinking we might head over to the precinct, if that's okay with you." She balled up the napkins in her lap, placing them on the table as she stood. She heard snickering and the familiar click of Jesse's phone as he snapped a picture of her unfortunate wet stain. She wasn't so sure that it was an accident anymore. He want's a reaction, just don't react. She would learn that it was easier said than done.

* * *

He seemed to love the precinct, his eyes wide as he took everything in. They spent a lot of time in the interrogation room, Jesse begging to be there to see one take place. "I don't know. Sometimes they're brutal. Maybe I can arrange one in robbery." His face fell as she let him down, and he sat on the side of the table where her suspects usually sat.

"I have an idea!" Her fiance's voice made Jesse look up, his green eyes pleading for something, anything, to do. "We can do mock interrogations!" Jesse's skeptical eyebrow only spurred Castle on. "It will be fun! Just think of the most ridiculous thing you could have done. Maybe you shot John Lennon. Maybe you stole all the cookies from the cookie jar. Whatever it is, keep it to yourself." He sat himself down in the seat she usually took, folding his hands in front of him. "And I'll interrogate you and see what I can find out!"

Kate cleared her throat, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Shouldn't I be the one to do the interrogation here?"

His shoulders slumped and he threw his head back. "Come on, Beckett! You always get to do interrogations! Give me a chance!" He was whining, something that had Jesse in stitches. She couldn't hide her own smile, despite the immaturity of the whole exchange.

She patted his shoulder a few times, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay. You don't have to act like a child." She headed for the door, calling back to them over her shoulder. "You two have fun. I have paperwork."

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she had made it through a couple of files before she felt a small hand on her back, dark hair peeking over her shoulder. "So cops still have to do paperwork?"

She reached her hand behind her back, pulling the sign the boy had placed on her off of her shirt. She held it up, one eyebrow raised as she studied him. "Kick me. That's the best you could come up with?" His shoulders heaved up and down, his hand held out for the sign. "Oh no you don't." She got up from the chair, making her way into Gate's empty office and shoving the sign into the shredder. She wasn't going to give it back to him just so it would appear on her back again. Jesse was looking over the reports while he waited for her to return, his head resting in his fist. She sat back down and closed the files. He wasn't allowed to read them. Even Castle needed special clearance. "Yes, cops have to do paperwork. I have witness statements, things I've logged into evidence, arrest warrants, any statement that a suspect has given me, and my own personal notes. There's a lot of it, and we are almost always behind on it."

"Gross." He moved himself to sit in Castle's chair, folding his hands in his lap. "So being a cop is cool and everything, but still a lot of hard work."

"Exactly." Her smile was warm before she looked away, sorting the files into piles so she would know where to start tomorrow.

"Warning," Castle's deep voice from behind her almost made her jump, her hand flying to her chest as her heart rate increased. "I forgot my deodorant at home so the board of health issued me this warning. Sorry."

Jesse's mouth was clamped shut, his lips covering his teeth as he tried not to laugh. Kate turned her head to face her fiance. "I'm sorry to hear that, babe. I didn't notice though."

Castle's eyes danced with mirth. "No, Beckett, that's what's written on the sign on your back."

As she reached back to take it off, she realized that she hadn't even felt his hand this time. It was hard to be upset when she was so impressed. She met his mischevious gaze, holding the sign out to him. "I asked if you could do better, and you exceeded all my expectations. Good job." This one she let him have. He folded it and shoved it in the pocket of his jacket.

Castle's hand rested on her back, which was now free of notes. "So, Jesse and I were thinking, maybe we could do something fun today! There's an arcade near his house, if you want to tag along."

"I bet I can beat you at the first-person shooter game of your choosing." Jesse piped up, hopping up from his seat.

Kate nodded, placing her files in the drawers. "You're on!" As she lifted herself though, she felt resistance, the smacking sticky sound alerting her to the substance on her chair. She ran her hands down her thighs, her fingers registering the sticky goo that was covering her ass. "Is this honey?" Jesse cackled as he nodded, pointing to the empty bottle he had left on the desk. Kate clenched and unclenched her hands, the honey more like glue keeping her fingertips together. "Okay, I think we get it, you like to pull pranks. I think I'm all done for today though." She didn't know how she kept her voice calm, because she could feel her anger starting to boil in the pit of her stomach.

Castle knew the warning signs. He approached her, one hand on her elbow, one at the small of her back. "Are you okay?"

She steadied with him there to support her, the anger dissipating. "Yeah." She sighed, her hand pulling her hair out of her face. "I have a change of clothes in my locker. Make sure he cleans my chair and then switch it with Espo's. And I am so going to kick his ass on that shooting game." With that, she waddled away, her hands out beside her to prevent people from touching her.

* * *

She did kick his ass in that shooting game. Three times. She wondered if it said something about her character that crushing him in a fictional world was the highlight of her day. In retaliation, Jesse stole her phone, tossing it between himself and a few of his friends. Usually she wouldn't care, except she had a streak. She hadn't broken a phone in years, unlike her fiance who seemed to break them every month. And if this kid ruined her opportunity to hold that over him, she would not be happy. She had already fallen on their table, pizza crushed into her chest and sodas spilled. But when she heard him tell one of the boys to go long, she finally snapped. "Enough!" She shouted as the phone left Jesse's hand. It was heading toward the fake mini-golf pond. She ran to catch it, tripping over a toddler's toy truck on the way. Castle's reflexes worked in his favor for once, his hands catching the phone just before it hit the water. He was unable to catch her though, and she went tumbling head first into the pond.

She emerged with hair in her face, sputtering, the burn in her nose making her squeeze her eyes shut. "Enough. I'm all done with this." She stormed off, past her concerned partner, without meeting Jesse's eye.

When Castle entered the bathroom, she pushed herself up from the sink, whirling around to meet his gaze. "I saved your phone." He offered sheepishly, his face making her laugh despite how upset she was.

"I saw that, thank you."

He grabbed her shoulders, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead, making all her worries melt away. He pulled away to meet her eye again, concern shining through every pore on his body. "I can take Jesse back to the loft, we can bring you some dry clothes."

"No!" Her response surprised even her, and Castle backed away as she reacted. "Castle, look at me! Imagine what he would do to our house! No, he isn't to step foot within 100 feet of our building."

"Okay, okay," he chuckled, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight, reassuring her, "I'll take him to his house, and then return with dry clothes."

"Thank you." She caressed his cheek. She wanted to hug him, but didn't want to get him wet. That would come later. For now, this was good. "Please promise me that our future kids won't ever be this bad."

"Never. I feel bad for his parents." He opened the door, smiling back in at her before closing the door completely. "I'll be right back."

It didn't take him that long, only around a half hour, most of which she spent on the phone with her father, apologizing profusely for her rebellious stage. When she was dry, she wrapped her arms around him, giving him the hug he deserved and taking the hug that she so desperately needed.

Kate didn't think of Jesse much over the next few years. Only when her kids were being especially awful did she ever thank her lucky stars that they weren't as bad as he was. So when a man walked into her precinct almost ten years later asking for a Detective Beckett, she was never expecting it to be him. "No one has called me that in years." She held out her hand, which he shook, his eyes studying her.

"Do you remember me?"

She laughed, pulling a stray piece of hair out of her face. "I couldn't forget those mischievous eyes, Jesse." She gestured toward her office. "Come in, please."

He entered, sitting down in the chair in front of her desk. He was dressed nice, a tailored suit and a black tie, his hair slicked back. "Captain now, huh? That must be fun. How have you been?"

"Good." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms across her chest. "I have to say, I never thought I'd see you back here again unless it was at an interrogation."

He laughed, his face turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm so sorry. Not that it excuses anything, but my parents were going through a tough divorce, my older sister was pregnant, and I was feeling a tad neglected. Any attention was good attention. I look back on that period of my life as the dark ages." He met her eyes again, genuine remorse flowing through them in a way she hadn't seen when he was younger. "I actually came here today to thank you. The tour of the precinct was something I held on to. I just came from a panel interview with the secret service, all because you showed me what a career in law enforcement looked like."

Kate's jaw dropped as she watched his chest swell with pride. "Jesse, that's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. I don't think I would have done it if I never met you."

"Well, keep in touch as much as you can. Let me know how it goes. I'm so happy for you!"

They visited for a few minutes until he had to leave, something about meeting his mother for dinner. He embraced Kate as he left, whispering his gratitude to her again. She waved to him on the elevator, rushing to her phone as soon as the door closed. "Castle! I'll give you three guesses to figure out who is joining the Secret Service!"

He didn't guess correctly, even after she gave him two more.

* * *

 _Prompt: Hi! I saw your name on the list of authors on here who take Castle prompts, and it also seems you enjoy humor a lot. So, if you're still open for prompts, I think I may have one for you: a story featuring Beckett getting relentlessly pranked by a kid or group of kids. What do you say? :)_


	10. Yes, You Read That Right

The weight from his bag on the bed is what jolted her awake, her eyes popping open and looking around. Her smile was soft as she looked at him, her arms stretching over her head, hair fanned out over the white pillow case. "You leaving?" She asked him, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah, I should go soon." He placed the small white coffee cup on the table on her side of the bed. "Decaf, just in case."

She let out a groan as she sat up, whether it was a groan of pleasure of exertion he wasn't sure. She grabbed the cup and took a sip, her smile growing as the warm beverage traveled down her throat. "Thanks, babe. But the decaf may be jumping the gun just a bit."

"But you can't tell it's decaf, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows as she rolled her eyes, settling himself near her knees. "Just like last time."

"Castle, I'm not even sure there is a this time. We have one positive and one negative. That's why I'm going to the doctor tomorrow."

His stomach sank as she spoke, upset that he'd have to miss the appointment. "You're sure you can't postpone it?" His hand fell to her flat abdomen, wishing he could feel the life he hoped was growing within.

She put the coffee back on the table, her hand catching his and playing with his fingers. "I tried, but there isn't another opening for two weeks. The earlier I know, with my job, the better. I don't want to put myself on restricted duty because of a hunch, I'll go insane."

"Yeah, that didn't go so well last time." Especially towards the end. Castle had avoided the office, leaving the boys to deal with her snippy comments and mood swings. He got enough of it at home. But it had all worked out in the end. He got to put together the perfect nursery for Oliver, and got to finish his novel before the sleepless nights began. "Will you call me when you find out?"

Her eyebrow raised, her teeth sinking into her tongue as she laughed. "Is that how you want to find out?"

"Maybe not. Stupid book signing." He had negotiated with Black Pawn. He wouldn't have to do long tours while Oliver was still young, taking some of the burden off of Kate. But he still had to promote the book, which meant smaller business trips. Like the one he had to take for the next three days that made him miss her first doctor's appointment.

She stuck out her bottom lip, pouting with him as she leaned up to kiss him. "If there is any reason to schedule later appointments, I'll make sure we plan them a little better."

He sighed, his forehead resting against hers. "Okay." He pressed one last kiss to her forehead before getting up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I have to go. I love you."

"Love you. Have a safe flight." With that she flopped back down into bed, her eyes closing as her head hit the pillow. Oliver would be up in about two hours, she'd need all the sleep she could get.

He learned it was hard to concentrate on people when he knew his wife was at her doctor's office. It was even harder when he knew that it meant that their family might be expanding. He kept misspelling his fan's names, and staring off into space. It was driving Paula nuts. "We can't keep giving these people new books because you spelled 'Tom' with a 'U'. What is up with you?"

"Sorry," he grunted out, rubbing his eyes, "Is there any chance I can take a quick break? Just let people know that if they are in line, I will sign their book." He spun his phone on the table as he looked up at her for permission.

"Is everything alright?"

He shrugged. "There's something going on at home, maybe, or maybe not, and I can't stop thinking about it. I would feel better if I could call my wife really quick."

Her hand went to her brow, relieving herself of the headache he always managed to give her. "Fine. you get ten minutes."

"Thank you!" He hopped up, holding a hand out to stop the next person in line. "I'll be right back!" He ran to the break room, an area they'd set up for him, his phone already calling her number.

"You really can't wait to find out?" Her voice teased him from the other end, his mood lightening as he heard her familiar voice.

"I know I can, but I don't want to wait! Did you find anything out?" He was pacing in the break room, his hand in his hair.

"The doctor hasn't come back in yet. I'm still just as blind as you are, babe." He sighed, sinking into one of the metal chairs and opening a bottle of water. "While you're pouting, would you like to talk to our son?"

He smiled at that, and sat up a little straighter. "Yeah, put him on."

He heard fumbling on the other end, but the cheery voice of their son came through loud and clear. "Hi Daddy! I'm keepin' Mama comp'ny!"

"That's good, Oliver. You have to keep Mom company whenever I can't be there."

"I know." Castle heard the door open, a female voice talking to Kate but he couldn't make out the words. "Daddy, when will you come back?"

"Tomorrow, buddy. But I'll read your bedtime story tonight."

"Okay!" He could see his son's face light up in his mind, his toothy grin bringing a smile to his face. "Want to talk to Mama again?"

"Yes please! I love you, Ollipop!"

"Love you!"

Castle heard voices and rustling as the phone was handed to Kate. "You still there?"

"I am, do you know anything yet?" He knew she would kill him if he continued to be persistent, but he couldn't make himself stop.

"I don't. They just apologized for the delay and told me that it would be any minute now. But wouldn't you rather hear in person?"

"You're right, you're right, I know. I have fans to get back to anyway."

"Don't sign any chests." He could tell she was smiling. He could hear the slight lilt of laughter in her voice.

"No promises." Her gasp made him laugh, and he had the sinking suspicion that even if she did know, she wasn't telling him anything. "Love you."

"Love you too." He waited for the click of her phone before chugging his water and returning to his fans.

He left on an afternoon flight the next day, one that would get him home just in time to put Oliver to bed. By some miracle, his bag was first on the conveyor belt, something that would never happen again, and he got to be on his way home faster than usual.

When he opened the door, he saw Oliver poke his head over the couch, his smile wide on his face. "Daddy's home!" The boy hopped down from the couch, launching himself at his father's legs. "I missed you!"

Castle leaned down and picked the boy up, his exaggerated grunting making the boy laugh. "And I missed you! Did you have fun with your Mom?"

On cue, Kate appeared when he mentioned her, Oliver's bedtime book in her hands. "Of course I did, Daddy! I had to keep her comp'ny!"

Kate kissed his cheek, her arm wrapping around Castle's back to complete the embrace. "You did a very good job of it too. but now we have to get ready to sleep."

Rick placed the boy down and pulled his wife in for a proper embrace, her body melting into his as they pressed their lips together. She pulled away, her hands on his shoulders and a hint of a smile on her face. "Let's put him to bed, and then we can chat, okay?"

He only nodded, following her to the living room where Oliver was waiting patiently. In his lap he held some papers, his hands covering them so they couldn't be seen. His grin was wide and his feet were swinging back and forth. He looked up at them, his hazel eyes meeting Kate's. "Now, Mama?"

She chuckled, kneeling down and running her fingers through his hair. "I guess so, baby."

Oliver thrust out the papers, or photos as Castle could now see, his eyes mischievous as he handed them to his father. "We took these for you!"

"Thank you." He sat, turning them so they were facing the right way. Oliver was seated in his room, holding up a chalkboard sign. In the first one he was smiling. _Don't worry, Dad, I had fun today!_ The sign read, Kate's perfect handwriting tilting slightly upwards. He put that picture downlooking at the next one in the sequence. Oliver was holding the same sign, this time his tongue sticking out and his eyes squeezed shut. _Mom let me see the babies!_ His gaze shifted to Kate, his heart beating faster as the words sunk in. "Did I read that right?"

"Well don't stop now, look at the next one!" She laughed, her hand covering her mouth.

He did flip to the next one, Oliver raising one eyebrow this time, the sign lopsided in his hands. _Yes, you read that right_. He discarded that picture in the pile next to him, the last photo confirming everything. Oliver's hand was held up in a triumphant fist, his mouth open. This time, an ultrasound photo was taped to the board, bold letters above it announcing, _It's twins_! His mouth dropped as he looked between his son and his wife. "Twins? Not just one, but two?"

She laughed, sitting beside him and planting a kiss to his cheek. "Identical twins. Two little boys or two little girls to love, and grow with, and to drive us insane."

He was still surprised, the words not quite sinking in. Oliver was bouncing up and down, waiting for a reaction while he wrapped his head around the new information. Two days ago they weren't even sure she was pregnant, and now they were having two babies. It was all so exciting. He turned his head to meet her eyes (oh how he hoped they'd have her eyes), pressing his lips to hers, his hands running through her hair. He kept it calm, the little one in the room preventing him from trying to take that kiss any further. But when they pulled apart, they both had smiles on their faces that weren't going away anytime soon. "I can't wait."

* * *

Prompt: Beckett finds out that she is having identical twins, and wants to tell Castle in a creative way.


	11. The Nose Knows

For my 400 follower giveaway, prompt from cuffedcasket47 on tumblr. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The soft ping of her phone pulled her out of her trance, the file in front of her closing as she reached for it. A smile crossed her face when she saw his name, her thumb swiping to open the text. _Your witness can tell me what I had for lunch. It's like the greatest superpower ever!_

She rolled her eyes, the smile still plastered on her face. _That's not the greatest feat. You're a creature of habit, leftovers or grilled cheese for lunch._

 _Yeah, but today it was leftovers. She doesn't know what I had for dinner last night._

 _Maybe that means you should work a little harder at brushing your teeth._ She giggled to herself, trying to keep her spirits up. This was safe for them, for now, and she was thankful for their limited interactions.

Her phone pinged again, and she laughed out loud at his one word response. _Ouch._

There was a quick knock on her door and Ryan entered, his suit and hair reeking of his salad dressing. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

She locked her phone, pushing it to the side to give her full attention to the younger man. "What do you have for me?"

He moved to her desk, launching into a tirade on numerical figures, cell phone triangulation, and potential motives for their person of interest. As he got more excited, he moved closer to her, the overwhelming scent of vinegar invading her nostrils. She pushed away from him, her hand covering her nose, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by her colleague. "I'm sorry, I can just smell your lunch all over you."

His eyebrows knit together over his baby blues, and he pulled the side of his vest to his nose, inhaling the scent. "Is it that bad?"

She shot him a sympathetic smile, nodding and relaxing as he backed away. "Yeah, I'm so sorry! It's making me sick."

He shrugged and waved it off, making his way to the door. "Nah, don't worry about it, Captain. Jenny complains about it all the time. Granted, she's pregnant," he stopped as Kate's eyes grew wide, her mind counting backward. He finished his thoughts, trying to ease the awkwardness, "so she's got this weird super smell thing going on kind of like our witness. But I guess she's not exaggerating as much as I think she is." His hand scratched the back of his head as he avoided eye contact. "You know, I can just email this stuff to you. You're a cop, you don't need me to explain it to you. I'm going to go."

Kate wasn't paying any attention. Instead she was looking through her calendar, trying to remember what was going on the last time she remembered her monthly visitor. A case number, a court appearance, anything that could help her figure out what was going on.

She threw her head back, her mind racing. There was too much going on right now, LockStat forcing her to keep her husband safe, solving the murders of her friends in the AG's office, and figuring out who was behind Bracken. She didn't want to worry about another life in the midst of all this. At the same time, she wanted to be happy. They'd talked about this. The less involvement in the field that came with the Captain title, along with the ability to do paperwork from home meant that they would start talking about starting a family after her promotion. Unfortunately now they were forced to have this conversation, now that she had messed everything up.

Her fingers flew to her computer keys, Google opening as she typed. Heightened smell pregnancy. It couldn't be a real thing, could it? Ryan's food hadn't bothered her before these last few weeks. But she was realizing that she wore less perfume than usual, the scent being more sickening lately. And she hadn't had any sort of seafood either, the smell of it making her queasy. And the more she counted, the more she realized she was late. She hadn't been late since her mother died, the stress of the events making her body turn against her and leading to more than a few worrying experiences. She leaned back after closing the browser, her hands resting on her still flat abdomen, her mind wandering to the life that was maybe developing inside.

She caught her own Mother's eye in the picture on her desk. She would be disappointed. So far, her Dad had let her stay with him, no questions asked, afraid to pry but always willing to offer an ear. Her Mom would have been knocking down her door though, demanding answers she couldn't give. If her mother knew what Kate was discovering now, she wouldn't be allowed to stay there anymore. No, she would be marched to her husband's door and forced to make things work. She shook her head, averting her eyes from her mother's all knowing gaze, and reaching for the phone. Johanna wasn't here anymore to talk sense into her, but she knew somebody who was. "Lanie? I think I screwed everything up."

* * *

The first thing Lanie did when Kate blurted out her suspicions was hand her a sterile cup and point at the bathroom. "I can have the lab rush the results, and in the meantime you will fill me in on all of this ridiculousness, are we clear?"

"Crystal." She gave her friend a grateful hug before leaving for the bathroom, the cup in her hand blowing LockStat out of her mind.

After she deposited her sample at the lab, Lanie's note to rush the results attached, she returned to her friend's office. The medical examiner had closed her laptop and pulled out two bottles of water, anticipating a long conversation. Kate didn't disappoint, launching into the entire story, from that call from Vikram early in the morning, to her conversation with Rita about LockStat never giving up, to her decision to leave Castle for his own safety. Lanie just listened in wide-eyed silence, giving Kate the time she needed to finish everything. When Kate finished, taking a long drink from her water, Lanie took a deep breath and spoke. "That's a lot of information to take in in such a short period of time."

"I know, I'm sorry." She rested her head in her hands, her stomach dropping as she heard the insanity out loud. "God Lanie, what did I do?"

"You did exactly what I would have expected you to do. You fell into a pit of a case that is loosely related to your mother's. Your family was threatened, and you kept us out of it no matter how much it's been hurting you." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I have to ask the obvious question here. You do know that you and writer boy work best as a team, right? I mean, you could have stayed home and dug into this."

Kate shook her head, her heart and brain pulling her in different directions. "No, I couldn't. What triggered all of this was a search. One search caused the death of five of my friends, and hits to be put out on people I never even met. And I love him dearly, but Castle isn't exactly subtle." Her friend chuckled, the smile wide on her face. Kate sighed, taking another swig of water before continuing. "If his involvement in this case got him killed, I'd never forgive myself. I won't be responsible for letting Alexis live without a Father."

"What if you didn't make it though, how would that make Castle feel?" Her friend's words had her fighting tears. She hadn't considered that. "He would do anything to protect you, and he's proven that he has your back. This is dangerous, Kate. If you were worried about him, you should also be worried about yourself. As much as you can't stand to live without him, he can't stand to live without you. And now you have to worry about your own potential little peanut." Kate's hand traveled to her abdomen again, already protective of an entity she didn't even know for sure existed. "You need to make sure that little one has a Father and a Mother in it's life. This is bigger than some case, Kate."

"I know." She met her friend's eyes over the desk, her own widening as she panicked. "Lanie, what if I screwed everything up? We said no more secrets and here I am, keeping secrets! What if he doesn't take me back?"

"Are you kidding me? That man worms his way into every one of your cases just to be close to you. He'll take you back." She held up a finger, stopping Kate's reply. "When he hears the whole story, he'll be angry. He has a right to be. But he'll take you back."

"I hope so." She sat back in her chair, picking at the skin under her nails as she tried to imagine the conversation in her head. She didn't even hear Lanie's phone ding, the sound that told her she had a new email in her inbox. All Kate registered was Lanie's voice, pulling her out of her fog and back to the present. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you ready to find out if you've got a peanut in there?"

Kate nodded, her arms wrapping around her midsection, the answer already clear in her head. "Yes."

Lanie's eyes drifted to her phone as she read the results. When they returned to Kate's face, she kept a neutral face, as if unsure how to react. "Congrats, Mama."

* * *

Kate stood in the lobby of their apartment building, her eyes resting on the text she had just sent to Vikram. _This is so much bigger than my marriage now. I'm sorry._ He read it without responding, her head still torn as she fought to shut out that part of her life. The elevator brought her to the top floor, and she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that followed her down the hallway. She hesitated outside of their door, unsure if she should use her key or knock. He hadn't told her whether or not he'd be there, all he knew was that she wanted to get her things. This threw a wrench in everything.

She decided to knock, something she hadn't done to that door in ages. Castle answered quickly, dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, the top button undone. He flashed her a sad smile, one that broke her heart into pieces and made her want to reach out and hold him close, never letting him go again. "Hey, Kate. I got your stuff together." He moved to the side letting her enter. "I wasn't sure how much you wanted, but I gathered a couple jackets, your favorite blouses, comfy pants, yoga pants, and your favorite fuzzy slippers. And of course, you can get whatever else you need."

He made this difficult. His understanding, however small, of her need for space, and his thoughtfulness to actually gather her things and make this as painless as possible for both of them broke her heart even more. instead, she turned to him. "Is anyone home?"

He shook his head, his hand scratching the back of his head. "No. Alexis is at a study group and Mother is at some gala…"

She didn't let him finish before surging at him, slamming him back into the door. He met her kiss with the same ferocity, his hands finding their way to her hair, his teeth finding her bottom lip and biting gently. In between kisses she kept whispering to him, "I'm so sorry, Castle. Forgive me."

He pulled himself away from her to look in her eyes, which she found filled with tears. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you everything tonight, I promise. But I don't want my stuff anymore, Castle, I want to come home."

"Of course you can come home. I missed you so much." He launched himself at her now, his tongue begging for entrance, which she granted, his hands running over her, like he couldn't believe she was real. She kept hers fisted in his shirt at the back, letting him know that she didn't want to leave him.

After a few moments, when she realized where this could be leading, and what happens afterward, she pulled away. "No, wait. Stop for a second." He deflated as she talked, his hands and face falling. But she held on, keeping his attention at her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm right here." She removed one hand from his shirt to caress his face, making sure he was meeting her eyes. "Rick. I'm pregnant."

* * *

Prompt: Beckett finds out she's pregnant in 8x05 and decides to come home. I just need a reunion fic in my life and also I love Castle babies!


	12. Doubts and Dance Parties

_This is for screec, the other winner of my giveaway! I'll post the prompt again at the end, so I don't give anything away! This got long, and I want to apologize but that seems weird... Enjoy!_

* * *

Sometimes, getting stuck in court all day wasn't such a bad thing. Sometimes judges called a two hour recess, meaning she could surprise her husband and children at home. She called out as she opened the door, expecting them to be eating lunch, and surprised to find the kitchen empty and music blaring from the office. She toed off her heels and followed the noise, her husband and daughter's voices melding together in a unique harmony, each backing up Freddie Mercury.

Charlotte's voice was clear above the rest of the noise. "Mama, oooh! I didn't mean to make you cry! If I'm not back again this time tomorrow."

Castle's voice joined in as she made her way to the doorway of the office, crossing her arms and leaning against the shelves so she could observe the performance. "Carry on, carry on, like nothing really mattered!"

Their five year old, Charlotte, was standing on his desk, her arms waving above her head in time to the music. Castle was right behind her, in case she fell off, but still singing along, taking the entire next verse for himself before they got into the faster part of the song.

As the music changed, Charlotte started marching in place, her head tilting back and forth. "I see a little silhouetto of a man, scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango?" She twirled, one hand above her head like a flamenco dancer before she tried to make herself appear larger, her voice becoming ferocious as she sang along with her father. "Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me!"

Kate laughed at the reversal for the gallileos, her husband reaching a falsetto while Charlotte attempted to meet the lower singer, her chin touching her chest. "Magnifico!" She shouted, leaping into her father's outstretched arms.

He swung her around, singing the next line in a funny voice. "I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me."

Charlotte rolled her blue-green eyes at him, twisting so she could face him to respond before moving on. "Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?"

Castle flipped her, her laughter ringing out above the music as he responded over and over that he would not let her go. He bounced each time he told her "no," the ends of her chocolate brown hair touching the ground, her face turning red as the blood rushed to it.

Charlotte's hands came to rest on her head as she kicked her legs. "Mamma mia, mamma mia!"

They sang together as Castle lowered her gently, her head hitting the ground before her feet. She twisted, landing on her knees so she could stand. "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me."

"For me!" Unable to stand by and watch any longer, Kate rushed into the room, screeching out the high note that none of them hit on key, her arms above her head as she shook out her hair.

"Mom's back!" Charlotte enthused, jumping with Kate and copying her air guitar moves as the music changed. They sang together as the music picked up, both of them with wide smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the moment. "So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye." Charlotte pretended to wipe something off her face at that line, and then tried her hardest to look angry. "So you think you can love me and leave me to die? Oh baby! Can't do this to me baby!" They were banging their heads now, their long brown hair flying. Kate was wrinkling her court clothing. She didn't care, this would always be more fun than court.

As the song wound down, she met her husband, snaking an arm around his shoulders before joining him for the ooh's. Charlotte was out of breath, her face red from exertion, her hair plastered to her face. They finished the song, letting the final "any way the wind blows," linger in the air around them. She pressed a kiss to her husband's cheek, greeting him properly before wrapping their youngest in a hug. "Hey Munchkin! Just you and Dad today?"

"Yeah." The young girl pushed her hair out of her face and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Oliver had practice and Beth went shopping with Lexi for school stuff." The young girl met Kate's eyes, her whole body vibrating with new energy. "I get to go to school soon too, right?"

Kate snuggled their youngest closer, burying her face in the girl's neck. "Yes you do, my big girl. Are you excited?"

Charlotte pulled away, her blue-green eyes meeting Kate's as she grinned. "Yeah. Beth told me I can paint pictures every day, and that we have music time. And she said she had the same teacher that I have and that Miss Berry is the best!"

Kate ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, gently untangling the snarls that developed during her dance party as they spoke. "Yes, Miss Berry is wonderful." She looked up at her husband, her hand falling from their daughter's hair. "Have you two eaten anything yet?"

"Not yet," he answered, inching toward the kitchen, "Charlotte just wanted PB&J, I was going to have some leftovers. We just wanted to do something fun before it was time to pick Oliver up from practice."

"So Alexis is going to drop off Elizabeth when they are done back-to-school shopping." Her stomach dropped at the words, her guilt washing over her, and she fought not to reveal her feelings in her voice. Back-to-school shopping had always been her responsibility, something that she did with their children to bond with them. Beth was only seven, and already choosing to go with someone else. "Will she be staying for dinner?"

"No, she said something about a well-deserved night out with Emmet, no kids." Kate found herself grinning, wondering who was brave enough to take in their two mischievous grandsons for the night. "She'll drop Beth off sometime around dinner time."

She rose, following him to the kitchen. "I have court all day and I have to touch base with the boys, but I can try to be back in time for dinner. If not, I'll be home for bedtime."

He pulled bread from the cupboard, flashing her a grin over his shoulder. "We know."

"It's my favorite part of the day." Charlotte told her, climbing up on the tall island chair, her head resting in her hands.

Kate pressed a kiss to the top of the girl's head. "Mine too, Munchkin."

As Castle made Charlotte's peanut butter sandwich, Kate pulled leftovers out of the fridge for them, spooning the food onto plates. She watched as he cut the crust off the sandwich, slicing it into four triangles before placing it in front of their daughter. "How much time do you have?"

Kate glanced at her watch, giving herself plenty of time to get back to the courthouse. "Around forty-five minutes." She took their food out of the microwave, placing the two plates at the remaining seats at the island.

"Well, if we throw this down our throats, and if Char can get herself ready, we might be able to catch the last little bit of Oliver's practice." He plopped a glass of water in front her, his eyebrows raised with anticipation.

Charlotte became visibly excited, jumping down from the chair, abandoning her sandwich, and starting to run to the other room. "Where do you think you're going?" Kate asked, her voice laced with laughter, but still managing to stop their daughter in her tracks.

"I have to get my jacket and shoes!" Her eyes were wide as she explained her actions, her little hand pointing to the office.

"They'll still be there when you are done eating." Kate's eyes travelled from the girl to her vacated seat, her eyebrows raised as she tried to make it clear what she wanted. Charlotte sighed, making her way back to her seat. "Your Dad and I have to finish eating first. Getting your jacket and shoes on now won't make us go any faster. Finish your lunch."

"Okay, okay." She emphasized her compliance by shoving another triangle into her mouth, her shoulders slumped as she ate. Kate shot a triumphant look at her husband, who was stifling his laughter. "But we are gonna watch Oliver at practice, right?" The girl looked over her shoulder at her mother, her eyes large and pleading.

It was Kate's weakness. All she needed was for one of her children to look at her like this, all doe eyed and innocent, and she would go weak at the knees, promising them anything they wanted. "Yes sweetheart, of course! But you just used up a bunch of energy, and you need to eat something, please."

"Okay! I'm almost done." Kate and Rick shared a knowing glance over her head, each returning to their own meals just a little bit faster.

Twenty-five minutes later they crashed his hockey practice, Charlotte wrapped in her green pea coat, a black knit hat atop her head. She went straight for the glass, jumping around and cheering on her brother. He skated over to meet her, the pads disguising his thin frame, waving through the Plexiglas at her, his grin wide. He pointed at Kate when he noticed her, his mouth guard disguising his words, but his eyes wide as he waved.

A whistle blowing, combined with a shout of "Castle!" made him turn around, skating back to join the rest of his team. Charlotte stayed where she was, watching the team with her nose pressed against the glass. Kate and Rick sat behind her in the bleachers, commenting to each other as they watched a few passing drills. When the kids started doing figure eights around the dots, the coach telling them not to glide but move their feet, it was time for her to go. She hugged Charlotte from behind, pressing kisses to the girl's cheek. "Alright Chipmunk, I have to go."

The girl giggled, turning to squeeze Kate around her middle, her head buried in her mother's neck. Okay. See you tonight." She pressed a kiss to Kate's cheek before turning back toward the glass, watching her brother once again.

Kate made her way over to the opening where the players made their way in and out. "Oliver!" She called out, shooting an apologetic look at his coach, who waved the boy over. He pulled off his helmet as he skated over to her, his hair plastered to his head. He leaned on the wall, his eyebrows raised at her, her own eyes looking back at her. "You guys are looking good out there." She watched as his grin stretched across his face, his dimple in his left cheek prominent. "I mean that. Tell the boys to keep up the hard work."

He chuckled then, and she was sure his chest was puffing out with pride under all the pads. "I'll give 'em hell from you."

"Good. Because if I'm coming to your scrimmage on Thursday, I expect you boys to win."

His grin grew wider as he held up a gloved hand, them meeting for the high five above his head. "Oh if you're gonna be there we'll definitely win! You're our good luck charm. You and Charlotte."

Kate chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Well, she'll be there too." She caught the eye of his coach, who was watching them with his arms crossed. "I gotta go! Get back to work!" She grabbed his sweaty head, pulling him toward her and pressing a kiss to his temple.

He squirmed away, his elbow pushing her away from him, and his gloved hand wiping the wet mark away. "Gross! Mom!"

Her eyes grew wide as he skated away, his blue helmet back in place as he lined up for the next drill. She glanced down at her hand, still wet from his hair, and wiped it on the back of her jacket. "Who's the gross one in this situation?" She asked no one in particular. She left the rink, her heart sinking as the feelings of inadequacy set in.

Her mind had been anywhere but the case, so she was relieved when the judge called a recess for the day before she was set to testify. She kept drifting to her family, and the strange actions of her children. Back to school shopping was her responsibility, much like the bedtime routine. She had memories of going with her Mom, trying on new clothes, talking about anything and everything. She loved keeping that tradition up with her kids, and was eager to add Charlotte to the mix. Her stomach sank as she thought of going without one of them, missing that bonding opportunity.

And Oliver pushing her away was new. She'd heard about rejection from children, mostly from Ryan when he talked about Sarah Grace, who was entering high school this year and entering her rebellious stage. But to experience it was heartbreaking. And all she could do was wonder where she went wrong.

She stayed in her office all night, getting the paperwork for their cases put together, and finishing her own reports. She left at 7:30, telling the boys to have a nice night as she ducked out, her fears still circulating in her head. It was quiet when she entered the loft, Castle alone in the kitchen washing dishes, the kids upstairs, most likely changing into pajamas and waiting for her. She kicked her shoes off and made her way into the kitchen, her arms wrapping around her husband's neck as she pressed kisses to the side of his face.

"Long day?" He asked, his wet hand coming up and grasping at her arm.

"Something like that." She let him twirl, pressing a kiss to her lips, his hands held out so he wouldn't get her all wet. His raised eyebrows begged for explanation, his blue eyes searching her face for clues. She dropped her hands from his shoulders, glancing at the clock behind him. "I have to head upstairs for a little bit, but we can talk about it later."

"Of course. I'll be here." She gave him a grateful smile, her mind still occupied as she climbed the stairs.

Charlotte and Elizabeth were gathered on Charlotte's bed, dressed in matching pajamas, Charlotte's hands in her older sister's hair as she tried to braid it. Beth was good, grimacing every once in a while when the younger girl pulled at those hairs at the base of Beth's skull. Kate sat herself in front of the seven year old, her hands reaching under her hair and fanning it all behind her. "Do mine." She commanded, grinning as she felt small fingers running through her hair.

"I'm just gonna do little braids instead of a big one." Kate felt her hair being split into smaller sections. "It's easier that way."

"That's how I learned." Kate relaxed, her back hitting the frame of the bed. "Did you have fun with Alexis today?"

"Yeah. Owen needed more notebooks and stuff than I did."

Kate chuckled. "Well, Owen is going into fifth grade, so sometimes he needs a little bit more."

"They didn't have fashion shows in the dressing room like you do." Beth's voice fell as she talked, the disappointment clear.

Kate shouldn't have been happy to hear this. But she found herself grinning as her daughter tugged on her hair, finding relief in the fact that she was more fun than their older sister at _some_ things.

"Mumma, guess what?" Charlotte's voice came from behind them, the bed shaking as the girl bounced on her knees.

Kate laughed as Charlotte made her way down, settling herself in Kate's lap, evidently finished torturing her older sister. "What, baby girl?"

"Jacob's in my class too!"

Kate's eyes grew wide. Oh, that could be awkward. "No way! At least you'll know somebody!" She met her youngest's enthusiasm, letting the girl settle in her lap.

"Yeah, Alexis told me when we were shopping today that Jacob had the same teacher for kindergarten that I had." Beth's hands dropped from Kate's hair. "I told her that Char was in the same class too, and she thought it was pretty funny."

One of the unintended consequences of marrying a man ten years older than her, and waiting so long to start a family, was having grandchildren that were the same age as her children. They planned to stop after Elizabeth, but Charlotte had her own plans, making herself known a few months after Alexis announced her second pregnancy. Alexis had never asked her boys to refer to the younger Castles as aunt or uncle, but they knew how they were related. Kate made a mental note to talk to Miss Berry on Charlotte's first day, that way if something slipped it wouldn't be weird.

Beth left the bed, crawling over to the bookcase and selecting a book from the top shelf. Kate lifted her youngest, settling in with her again on her own bed. Beth sat down next to them, her head resting on Kate's shoulder as she handed over the book. _Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl_. Kate grinned. The adventures of Junie B. were the best, the girls in stitches each time they read. Kate opened the book and started to read.

About halfway through, when Charlotte's breathing had slowed, she folded down the corner of the page. Beth took the book and put it back in its place while Kate tucked the almost sleeping five year old in, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Mom?" She whispered, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Yes, baby?"

"When I go to school, can I have a boyfriend like Ricardo, but better?"

Kate chuckled, lowering herself to meet Charlotte's eyes. "No. Beth didn't have a girlfriend or boyfriend, neither did Oliver, and neither will you." She rubbed noses with the giggling girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "No boyfriends or girlfriends until you're twenty. Unless you ask dad, Dad will make you wait longer."

"No fair." Beth called from her bed, twisting on the night light. "Dad told me thirty."

Kate laughed, heading over to meet the older girl, helping her tuck in her blankets. "That's why I said not to ask Dad." Beth giggled and squirmed under the covers, her bright blue eyes looking up at Kate. Kate kissed her too, lingering a bit longer over her as they hugged, reassuring her that she was there. "Now tomorrow I want you to show me everything you got with Alexis. And in a couple days I'm going to have to drag you out along with us just in case."

Beth nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. "Are we going to get ice cream this year?"

"Of course!" Kate's enthusiasm was louder than she had expected, but it got her girls giggling, warming her heart. "That's a back to school shopping tradition! You don't even have to ask."

Beth's eyes shone, her arms wrapping around Kate's neck and pulling her close once again. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, sweetheart." When Beth released her, she rose, shutting off the light and leaving the door open a crack.

She made her way down the hallway, knocking on Oliver's door twice, waiting for his grunted response before opening the door. Out of the three children, he had been the first one to fully embrace the inner geek that he really had no chance of escaping. He was curled up, his Tardis throw blanket wrapped around him, the second Harry Potter book open in his lap. "Hey, Mom." He said to her, without looking up from the book.

She sat on the edge of his bed, her hands running over the soft blanket. "Your turns have improved a ton since last year."

He looked up, meeting her eye as he grinned, the book closing on his hand. "Coach said the same thing!" He used the book jacket to mark his page, placing it on his nightstand. "When we get stuff for school, Can I look at new skates? Mine are getting tight and I want to break in a new pair before we start playing real games."

"Of course. And I want a schedule from Coach as soon as it's ready so I can plan my schedule ahead."

"I got it today, It's on the fridge."

"Perfect, thanks bud." She reached a hand out, resting it on his knee. "So I need you to be honest with me." His grin dropped, a more serious expression etched into his face as he met her eye, his gaze unwavering. "Is everything okay?"

His eyebrows knit together with concern. "Of course. What do you mean?"

She shrugged, pushing her own insecurities aside. "Nothing, I'm just worried and something seemed off earlier." He continued to regard her with confusion, his hazel eyes worried. She shook her head, pushing air out of her face. "So, are you excited to start middle school?"

He shrugged, his face falling into an emotionless mask as he answered. "It's just school. Why does everyone make such a big deal out of it?"

"It's different though!" She found his hand under the blanket, and she grabbed on, trying to comfort him. "It's more kids, new teachers, and different classes. You get to switch classes now. You get to start exploring things that interest you."

"I don't know." He dropped his head, his hair obscuring his eyes.

"What's your biggest fear?" When he didn't answer her, she squeezed his hand, making him look up at her. "I mean it, tell me your biggest fear."

His eyes searched the air around them, figuring out what he wanted to say before he spoke. "What if I walk into the wrong class? What if no one likes me?"

"Okay, really? Your friends are still all going to this school, and you have an entire hockey team that likes you. Where does that ridiculousness come from?" He shrugged, His eyes meeting hers and a whisper of a smile dancing on his lips. "I think you'll see that people will like you. You don't need me to tell you that." She made her way up the bed to rest next to him, her back against his headboard. "When I was a freshman in high school, I walked into the wrong class on my first day. I didn't know it until the teacher started talking though. When he turned to the class with a smile on his face and said, 'Hello seniors,'" she paused here, watching her son giggle at her misfortune, "Well, I wanted to sink into the floor. Instead, I jumped up, squeaked out an, 'oops, wrong class,' and ran out the door."

"You didn't!" He was laughing, his smile infectious like his father's.

"I did! I was mortified there, and mortified again when I had to explain to my real teacher why I was late." She grinned to herself, remembering the day, the chuckles from her own classmates. "But do you know what happened at lunch?" Oliver's eyes looked up at her, enraptured by the story she was telling. "Those seniors from the wrong class adopted me in a way. They sat with me at lunch, helped me find my classes, and hung out with me after school. As the year went on they brought me to events, helped me find a date to the prom, and took me out on weekends for some fun. They were my best friends. And I wouldn't have met if I hadn't walked into the wrong classroom."

"That's crazy." His head rested on her shoulder, his body snuggling into her more. And she didn't feel as put off by his exclamation earlier.

She pressed a kiss to his head. "It just shows that sometimes making a mistake that feels mortifying isn't the worst thing that could happen to you."

He was silent for a moment, his hands fidgeting under the covers. "Thanks, Mom." His voice was a whisper as he completely relaxed, his arm wrapping around her shoulders and squeezing.

She hugged him back, swinging him a bit in her arms before releasing him. As she started to get out of his bed, he reached for his book. She glanced at the clock next to him, her eyebrows raised authoritatively. "It's getting late. Lights out in a half hour."

He nodded once, his grin wide and the mask gone. "Yes ma'am. Goodnight."

She blew him a kiss from the doorway. "Goodnight. Love you."

She heard him respond as she closed the door, his voice light, and she hoped that somehow she had managed to fix whatever she had messed up earlier.

Downstairs her husband was slamming keys, hard at work on his newest novel. Making her way into the office, he met her eye, holding up a hand to stop her from talking as he finished his thought. Once the laptop closed, he folded his hands over it, giving her his full attention.

She chewed on her lip as she thought, her fears coming through in a shaky voice. "Am I not present enough? For them I mean?" She jerked her head toward the stairs, even though he knew who she was talking about.

His forehead wrinkled as he studied her, confusion etched into his face. "What makes you think that?"

"Everything." She sunk into one of the empty chairs, her knees drawn up to her chest. "First Beth goes shopping with someone else. And I know it's her sister, but that's always been my thing with them, and it was taken away from me this year. Maybe she didn't think I'd do it because I've been so busy and went with someone else. And Oliver pushed me away from him when I tried to kiss him. And I mean he really pushed me away, Castle, and wiped the kiss that I gave him away. And Charlotte, well she doesn't seem to hate me yet, but when she's here with you she has so much fun. I can't be around as much as you can, I just can't, and it won't be long until she starts to hate me too."

Castle rose from his chair and ran around behind hers, wrapping her in an embrace, his head resting on her shoulder. "Kate, you are an amazing Mom."

"You always say that." And it wasn't helping her stop the spinning in her head or in her stomach.

"Because I mean it. Kate, every night without fail you spend quality, one-on-one time with them. You've been reading to them ever since they started to like books. Oliver wouldn't let me read to him when he was younger because you always told the story better."

"I read to them. So what."

He pushed her to one side of the chair, and sat next to her. The fit was tight, but it allowed him to look into her eyes. "I'm not finished." He paused for a moment, deciding where to start. "Kate, you sing to them. You did it when they were inside you, singing whatever lullabies popped into your head. You continued it as they grew, and it enchanted them as much as it enchants me." He brushed hair out of her face, his thumb lingering at her cheek, the gesture comforting her along with his words. "You listen to them. You get down on their level, make eye contact, and _listen_ to them, Kate. They're so lucky to have an adult who takes them seriously in their lives, because they're going to be met with people out in the world who don't. You laugh with them, you make things special for them, and they love you so much for all that you do."

"Sometimes I know that, but today seemed off. And I just can't shake the feeling that deep down, they wish I was around more."

"Kate," He started, his voice calm and understanding, "you do understand that Oliver is getting to that age where he wants to seem grown up. Grown-ups don't get kisses on their cheeks from their Moms."

She raised her eyebrows in mirth, meeting his baby blues with a smirk on her face. "You get kisses on the cheek from your Mom."

He rolled his eyes at her, breaking out in a grin that she saw every day on their son's face. "Not in public, Kate!" She laughed then, moving her shoulders so she could better cuddle with him. "But now that I am all grown up, it wouldn't bother me. I don't have the guys constantly giving me hell all because my Mom kissed me. He's at that age where that's exactly what he's going to get. It doesn't mean he doesn't love you." As he reassured her, she thought back to their oldest, her little boy curling his body into her as she told her story, making him laugh. It had just been them, and he'd been fine. Maybe there was some truth to her husband's words. "Charlotte talks about you all the time when you're at work. She knows that you catch the bad guys, and sees you as a superhero. She looks up to you more than anyone else in this world, Kate, and I'm not going to lie, but sometimes it makes me a bit jealous." She chuckled at that, her head resting in the crook of his neck. "And Elizabeth only got supplies and one jacket with Alexis today, no clothes. She said she likes your style better, and wants to get new clothes with you."

"Really?" She didn't know why she had to ask. He didn't lie to her about things like that.

"Really. Your kids love you, Kate. I just wish you could see it like I do."

She craned her head up, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Thank you. I promise I'll try. But can you do me a favor?"

He pulled back, twisting so he could see her better. "Name it."

Her eyes searched his, finding nothing but compassion and love for her. "Can you remind me of this every once in a while, whenever you think I need to hear it?"

His smile was soft and reassuring, quieting her doubts the longer he looked at her like that. "Always."

* * *

 _Prompt: I was sent three to choose from, but I combined two of them. 1) Capitain Beckett feels guilty because her only/younger child will be going to school soon and she feels as if she hasn't spent enough time with him/her. Castle comforts her._

 _2)Beckett comes back from work and finds Castle singing "Bohemian Rapsody" and enjoys the show._


	13. April Fools

It took years, but he finally double booked himself. A book tour that he'd been putting off caught up to him, and he had no choice but to go. It didn't help things that he wrote it down wrong, showing her on the calendar where he had written down April 27th as his tour date. So when Paula called on 22nd and asked him if he was ready to go in five days, it surprised them all. Alexis and her husband had made arrangements for him and Kate to take the kids while they took a well-deserved vacation in Europe, thinking that Castle would be happy to spend time with the grandkids on his birthday.

Alexis called them before they had time to break the news to her, insisting on speaking to Kate. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Her step-daughter had insisted. Kate could hear the panic in her voice, her boys chattering away in the background.

"It's okay! I'm planning on calling Martha later about watching Char during the day while your Dad is away, I'm sure she wouldn't mind keeping Jake company too. And I can pick up Owen from school when I get Oliver and Beth."

The younger woman sighed on the other end of the line. "Are you sure? That's five kids you have to be in charge of by yourself."

"Alexis, I can handle it. I promise."

The other end was silent as the girl thought, and Kate could picture her standing by her counter, her hand on her head as she worked everything out. "Okay." She conceded, her voice still hesitant. "But if you need anything, just call, and I will be on the next plane home."

Kate laughed, trying to calm her step-daughter's anxiety. "Don't worry, the boys are always a delight, just like you. I'll be fine. Castle took the phone from her then, reassuring his daughter while Kate ran upstairs to tell Oliver to clean his room while she pulled out the trundle bed.

Castle left the same day the boys arrived, early in the morning before the kids woke up. He woke his wife with a cup of coffee, his bag slung over his shoulder and a lingering kiss on her lips. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She let out a breath as she sat up, reaching for the coffee he'd placed on her nightstand. "What is it with the Castle's thinking I can't handle this?"

"It's not that I think you're incapable, it's just a lot of work that you thought you'd have help with." His voice was laced with concern as he sat on the bed next to her, his hand on her knee. "I've screwed up a lot of things before, but I never thought I'd have a tour I wasn't planning on."

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually." She chuckled, sipping the warm liquid and clearing her head. "Besides, your Mom is happy to watch the little ones during the day, and if I need extra hands, my Dad is retired now and he lives for the kids. Plus, Ryan and Espo can help me scare them straight if it comes to it." Her hand found his face, her thumb tracing his cheekbone as she convinced him. "I have plenty of help. We'll be fine." He nodded, his shoulders relaxing as she calmed him, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. She leaned up to kiss him, and he met her halfway, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in closer. She hated long book tours, she always had. It got easier once she had children to distract her, but she missed her husband when he was gone. After a moment, she pushed him away, laughing. "I hate to ruin the moment, but you're gonna be late."

"That's not how I want to start this tour." He leaned in for one last peck before rising from the bed, his bag adjusted on his shoulder. As if on cue, his phone began to ring, the death march ringtone making Kate smirk as she stretched in bed. She heard him answer as he left. "Yes Paula, I'm heading out the front door now." Kate stayed in the bed for a bit after he closed the door, her coffee cup gripped in one hand as she fought to wake up. And when she'd finished her drink, she stepped out of bed, the floor cold beneath her feet, and prepared for the extra visitors.

When Alexis dropped the boys off, Kate had already prepared a feast. Jake clung to his mother, his hand holding tightly to her pant leg, a giant giraffe wrapped in his other arm. Owen ran into the living room, waving at Kate as he passed, and sitting on the couch next to Oliver, showing his something on his DS. Kate stepped away from the oven for a moment, bending down to offer her youngest grandson a piece of bacon. Jake smiled, taking it from her and throwing his arms around her neck. "Hi, Nona."

"Hey, you!" She pressed a kiss to the timid boy's cheek. "You and Char are going to have so much fun together."

"And you can call me and Daddy every night." The redhead's hand fell to his hair as she spoke, her voice soothing and her touch relaxing him.

The boy pulled back, his dark eyes meeting his grandmother's, his face serious. "Nona, you and Grandpa got rid of all the monsters, right?"

She grinned. "Are you kidding? Of course we did! We haven't had a monster sighting in ten years!" She dropped her voice, pulling his ear to her mouth. "They're afraid of police officers, so they don't come around here."

"Good!" He sighed out his relief, his smile growing across his freckled face.

Kate pointed toward the living room. "Char and Beth are in there watching Ms. Frizzle. I think they'd like it if you joined them." Jake grinned and took off, shouting out to his family as he went.

Alexis wrapped Kate in a hug, pouring out her gratitude before launching into instructions. "Owen's school uniforms are in this bag, along with an extra jacket just in case he spills something on it. Fridays are casual, so he has an outfit to wear on that day if he wants to. I try not to let him watch television after school, but he can as long as his homework is done, because this whole stay is a treat for him." She pulled a smaller bag out of her purse. "Jacob's epi-pen is here, not that I expect there to be any bees yet, but just in case. If you catch it early enough, Benadryl is enough to stop a reaction, just watch him really close."

"Of course." Kate took the bag and left it on the counter, reminding herself to talk to Martha about it when she came to watch the little kids. When she turned back around to face the younger woman, she found Alexis watching her boys, her hands clutched around her waist, a worried look on her face. "What's the longest time you've left them for?"

A chuckle escaped Alexis' throat, her body relaxing. "It's that obvious, huh?" Her smile was soft as she reassured herself. "Just for the weekend, when you and Dad take them. Never a week."

"Well, they'll be fine, I promise."

"I know." She looked at the clock and started making her way to the living room. "I'm gonna be late." Her boys met her halfway, throwing their arms around her and allowing her to press kisses to their heads. She ruffled Jacob's dark hair, adjusted the collar on Owen's uniform, and headed back toward the kitchen. She hugged Kate one last time, whispering "thank you" one last time before scurrying out the door.

Kate moved back to the stove, taking the last of the bacon out of the pan, and spreading butter on the last pieces of toast. "Alright, who is hungry?" She called toward the living room, chuckling to herself as five little heads all turned in her direction.

The week went by without too much trouble. Martha was more than delighted to spend her days with her youngest granddaughter and great-grandson, typically bursting into the loft before breakfast was ready, exciting all five of the youngsters. Espo was more than capable of running a precinct, following her instructions to the letter each time she left and keeping her well informed about their case. Her Dad had even surprised her for dinner one night, stopping by with a hot meal in the crock-pot, taking some of the pressure off of her. Oliver quizzed Elizabeth and Owen on their spelling words every night while Kate chased and bathed the two youngest children, and she would go over his with him in the mornings at breakfast. She never had to worry about Owen watching too much TV, because as soon as he finished his homework, he was upstairs playing make believe games with his uncle and aunts. And by Friday, Kate wondered why everyone thought she'd have so much trouble. Sure, it was exhausting, but everything seemed to be running like a well-oiled machine.

On Friday night, Kate set up cushions and mattresses in the living room, gathered every thick blanket she could find in the house, and pulled a selection of Disney movies off the shelves. Three large bowls of popcorn were placed in strategic locations, and strings of white Christmas lights were hung along the ceiling to look like stars.

"It's like a camp-out!" The youngest of the group, Charlotte, jumped around as she squealed, dancing in circles on the couch cushions.

"Exactly!" Kate enthused back, pulling one of the popcorn bowls out of range of the young girl's spinning arms, even though she knew she would be vacuuming up a huge mess tomorrow. Her eyes scanned the other children in the room, settling on Jacob, who looked the most concerned. "It's because you all were so well behaved this week, and I thought you deserved a treat."

"Are we gonna sleep out here?" Jacob's small voice asked, his stuffed giraffe, Myka, clutched in his arms.

"If you'd like to. I already checked for monsters." As if she was reading his thoughts, the young boy relaxed, his shoulders dropping as he joined Charlotte in her dance. Kate waved her arms toward the stairs. "So let's go! Get on comfy jammie and let's get this marathon started!" With that, five pairs of feet galloped up the stairs, each of the kids shouting about which pair of pajamas they wanted to wear. Kate made her way into her own bedroom, pulling out the pair of fuzzy Tardis pajama pants that Castle had bought her for Christmas and a grey NYPD t-shirt. She waited on the couch as all five children came back downstairs one by one. And then they started the marathon.

It started with Wreck it Ralph, a family favorite amongst the kids. After Tangled, the pizza arrived, and they took a break to eat at the table. During Toy Story, Kate's phone rang, the 12th popping up as the caller ID, so she took the call into her bedroom, leaving the kids alone.

Ryan had caught a lead in their case that opened up about fifty new suspects. Plus, they had a lead that may have led to a narrower suspect pool, but needed supervisor approval for wires and cameras. And he needed them quick, which meant she had to perform some bureaucratic magic. After some time she managed to cut through the red tape and get him what he needed, and was able to rejoin her family.

In the living room, the kids were whispering, and Elizabeth let out a loud, "shhh," when she saw her mother approaching.

"What's going on out here?" Kate asked them, sinking down into the couch again.

"Nothing." Owen answered, unable to hide his mischievous smile. "We're just watching a movie."

She laughed, looking at all of the children, noting how none of them would meet her eye. "Sure you were. Nothing fishy here."

"Nope." Oliver and Elizabeth answered in sync.

She could have pursued it. She could have pushed them until they broke. But at the same time, she didn't want to ruin their fun. It couldn't be all that bad.

Peter Pan went in next, then Frozen, but by the time that was halfway over, all five of the kids were snoring, wrapped up in comforters, popcorn in their hair. Staying on the couch wasn't an option anymore, so she instead left her bedroom door open, just in case they needed her, and fell quickly into a deep sleep.

She awoke the next morning to the smell of fresh brewed coffee, and the sound of chattering children in the other room. Stretching her arms out, she connected with a small body on Castle's side of the bed. It was charlotte, her brown hair ruffled and her blue-green eyes squinting in the morning light. "Hey, snuggle bug. What are you doing here?"

The girl shrugged. "I had a bad dream, so I came in your bed."

Kate rolled over, showering her youngest with kisses, listening to her giggle and squirm. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did you sleep well once you got in bed with me?"

"Yeah."

Kate brushed hair out of her daughter's face. "Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?"

"Yeah." She answered again, this time wrapping her arms around her mother's neck, letting Kate lift her out of bed.

Kate grunted as she did it, her arms wrapping around her daughter's small frame as they made their way into the kitchen. "You're almost getting to be too big for this."

In response, the young girl buried her head in her Mother's neck, her hair tickling Kate's nose. Kate set her down by the island, the mug of coffee staring her in the face. "Thank you Ol for making coffee!" She called out to the living room, pulling the steaming mug towards her.

"No problem, Mom. Dad wasn't here and you were still asleep, but I tried my best." Her oldest answered, leaning against the island.

"That was very sweet of you. We have to call him in a couple of hours, wish him a happy birthday before he starts his day." The mug was poised at her lips, waiting for her to finish her sentence before pouring the sweet liquid down her throat.

"Of course!" Oliver answered. But she couldn't say anything else. The drink she had poured down her throat was not sweet, and instead tasted like she had swallowed an entire salt lick.

As she spit out the coffee and yelped in horror, a chorus of voices rang out, "April fools!" Elizabeth and Owen high fived each other while Oliver giggled and Kate dropped the cup in the sink.

"I don't know why I didn't expect that." She laughed, pulling another cup down from the cupboard.

It surprised her when Elizabeth pulled it out of her hand, walking it over to the coffee pot, where Oliver was waiting. "We'll make you a new one now." She promised, her blue eyes dancing with laughter. "No jokes this time, I swear."

"There better not be." She teased, opening the fridge and handing the skim milk to her son. After a quick glance at the contents of the fridge, she turned back to the group. "Looks like I'm out of eggs, so it's cereal for breakfast. Tell me what you want."

Five voices all piped up at once, but somehow she managed to pull down the three boxes she needed. Elizabeth brought her bowls, and Kate started pouring the Lucky Charms for Jacob. Except instead of marshmallows and frosted pieces, small brown squares with sugar embedded in it came out. Someone had switched the bags. The giggling intensified as she poured, Owen whispering, "April fools," as she handed the bowl of Life to Elizabeth. Kate expected the Life cereal box to be filled with Lucky Charms, but she again was met with surprise as brightly colored loops fell out instead. She poured three bowls of this for Oliver, Owen, and Charlotte, and sent them on their way. In the Fruit Loops box is where she finally found the Lucky Charms, the young Jacob impatiently shuffling his feet next to her as he waited for his bowl.

As the kids sat down to eat, Kate started to make her way through the kitchen. "What other surprises do you have hidden around here?" At the chorus of giggles from the table, she knew she was far from finished with the April fools pranks, and spent some time fixing cereal bags, switching labels on spices, and moving the pots and pans back to their original cabinet. As they clanged together, she wondered just how exhausted she was if they moved all of this while she slept. When the Tupperware was moved out of the cabinet for the pots and pans, and back into their proper cabinet, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table.

A quick headcount told her she was down one kid. Her son, the oldest and sanest of the group, had disappeared, his cereal bowl untouched. And when she craned her head to peer into the living room, he wasn't there either. "Oliver?" She yelled, making the younger kids jump.

In a few seconds, he came shuffling out of her bedroom, Jacob's giraffe held above his head in triumph. "I found Myka!"

Kate's eyebrows knotted together. "Myka was missing?"

Oliver dropped the giraffe into Castle's empty seat, resuming his place at the table. "Yeah. We were looking this morning." His hazel eyes flicked over to Jake, whose brown eyes were shining. "You must have left her in the bathroom this morning."

Kate's hands came down, causing glasses to clatter and children to jump. "What did you do to my bathroom?"

Elizabeth broke first, her nervous laughter making the other kids giggle. "Nothing, Mommy." Her wide blue eyes looked innocent enough, and Kate felt her shoulders relax. "It was too close, we were afraid of waking you up."

Kate felt her eyes rolling despite the smile stretching across her face. "Gee, thanks." As the children finished eating, they dropped their bowls in the sinks and returned to the living room, wrapping themselves in blankets as the watched stuff on Netflix. Oliver and Kate were the last to finish, the young boy seemingly oblivious to Kate's studying of him. Not that watching him so intently would reveal any other pranks, but in ten years of existence, she had picked up on things that showed he was hiding something. Like how he wouldn't meet her eye, either looking toward the living room where he could _just see_ the television, or staring down at his cereal bowl like he thought something would pop out of it. He ate slower too, his bites more deliberate, less on his spoon than what was typical for a growing boy, like he wanted to wait around and watch what happened next.

Kate shrugged off the feeling, content to let whatever happened, happen. This wasn't something they'd ever been able to do. Other than pranking Castle one year into thinking that they forgot all about his birthday, the birthday festivities usually outshone any of the minor pranks.

When they finished, Kate took his bowl from him and made her way to the sink. Sponge in hand, she turned on the water just to be sprayed in the chest by the hose. As the turned the water back off, she bit her smirk back, listening to Oliver roar with laughter at the table. His "April fools" went unsaid, as he instead wiped tears from his eyes. Kate inspected the prayer, finding a single, clear elastic holding down the button so she wouldn't see it. "You know, I did that same thing when I was younger to my Mom, and she made me clean up all the water."

"I promise, I'll clean it all up." He assured her with a smile, his eyes lit up as he watched her further.

She snapped the rubber band off the sprayer, turning on the faucet again just to be sprayed with even more water. This time it was more erratic, and soaked her from head to toe. Now as she turned it off, she heard laughter from all five children, who had gathered around the island to watch the chaos unfold. Kate wiped her eyes and pulled a small piece of tape off of the faucet, shaking her head as she held it up for all to see. "Fool me once. I should have checked, that one is on me."

Elizabeth and Owen had tears streaming down their faces as they moved toward the sink, their hands moving her away. It was Owen who spoke first, finding the breath and calming himself. "Go change, Nona. We'll clean up." Kate did as they said, shaking her wet arms about and flinging water back on all of them before retreating to her bedroom.

There she picked up her phone, tapping out a quick message to her husband. _Boy do I have a story for you. I'm sure the kids will tell you all about it when they call you later. Come home soon!_ She tossed the phone on the bed and made her way to the dresser, grabbing the first t-shirt that her hands came in contact with. Except she didn't get just one. She realized with a laugh what her oldest had really been doing in here. Each shirt was pinned to the one underneath it, like an accordion. "Well played." She unpinned the first shirt, and grabbed a pair of yoga pants from the drawer below, placing them on the bed. Her clothing was clinging to her, and the air had cooled, so she was shivering as she changed. She went to slip her feet into her slippers once she was all dry, her eyebrows knitting together as she realized they didn't fit, and picked them up to inspect them.

That's when the door opened, Charlotte grinning from ear to ear as Kate held out three cotton balls that were stuffed inside. "April fools, Mommy!"

Kate's smile was warm as she lifted her youngest girl. "Did you do this?"

Charlotte nodded, blue-green eyes dancing with excitement, a smirk on her face. "Me and Jake did this morning!"

"That is probably the best prank yet! You'll have to tell Daddy when we call him later."

"Uh-huh!" She wiggled until Kate put her down, running into the other room, where the older kids were sitting.

Kate ruffled Oliver's hair as she moved to sit next to him, pulling him in and kissing his temple. "That was a good one, with the shirts."

When he turned to look at her, his own smile wide, all Kate could see was his father reflecting back at her. "I know, right? I thought you'd get a kick out of it."

Her hand trailed up and down his back, her smile warm as she relaxed. "Okay, just so I don't have a heart attack or anything, how many more pranks like that can I expect?"

"None." Owen answered, his head shaking back and forth, eyes glued to the screen. "You found them all."

"Good." Kate sat back in the couch, letting Jacob crawl up in her lap, his giraffe forgotten at the table. She stroked his dark hair, letting him relax into her. With a smile, she rested her head on his shoulder, speaking more to him than to anyone, but knowing the response it would cause from everyone else. "Did I ever tell you the story about how your mom, Grams and I tricked Grandpa?"

Oliver spoke first, reaching for the remote and pausing the TV. "I love this story!"

"Tell it again, Mommy!" Elizabeth shouted from inside her blanket cocoon.

"What did Mom help you do?" Owen piped up from his perch in the chair next to them.

Charlotte didn't speak, just climbed on the couch and wrapped her arm around Kate, listening with a tilted head and wide eyes.

"Well," Kate began, holding her grandson tighter in her lap, "It all started when your Mom gave Grandpa a pair of binoculars."


	14. Baseball Mom

It surprised even him, the crack as his wooden baseball bat made contact with the ball. And in his haze of surprise, he didn't even hear his coach yelling to him, barely registered the noise of the crowd. "Run, Oliver, run!" It wasn't until he saw the outfielder running after the ball that had flown over his head that he realized he better start running. The bat fell with a thud at his feet, and he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. The first baseman was yelling, arms waving over his head, making Oliver try just a little harder, run just a little faster. As his foot connected with the base, he felt the steady thump of the first baseman's glove on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"You're out!" The ump yelled, dashing all of his hopes with the sound of his voice.

As he walked back to the dugout, one voice rang clear above all the others. "Are you kidding? Everyone knows the tie goes to the runner! I'll pay for an eye examination if you need one!" Oliver smiled as his Mom chewed the man in the blue polo shirt out, his baby sister yelling nonsense along with Mom, copying her frustrated tones. Mom followed the fence to the dugout, her eyes kinder when she was speaking to him, her hands trailing the chain link fence. "That was a great hit, Ollipop. You'll get it next time." She blew him a kiss before picking up Beth and returning to her seat next to his dad, who was grinning and waving, offering two thumbs up before scribbling stats down on the pad of paper in front of him.

His coach pat him hard on the back, and ruffled his sweaty head when he handed the helmet to the next kid. "Nice hit there, Castle. You'll get 'em next time."

Oliver only offered a quiet "thanks" before sitting on the bench, shoving a handful of sunflower seeds in his mouth. But everyone's support fell on deaf ears. The season was almost over, and this was the only hit he had to show for it. He didn't even make it to a base, so it wouldn't even count as a hit.

He only started playing to make his Mom happy. She talked about baseball all the time, even took him to a couple of games. And she'd tell these stories about watching with Papa, and her face would light up, and it looked like the happiest he'd ever seen her. So when he came home with that flyer they'd handed out at school, and watched the smile stretch across her face, he thought it would be fun.

"You're out!" The ump's voice rang out clear for the third time, and the dugout became a flurry of activity as kids searched for their gloves and ran to their places. And as Oliver made his way out to right field, he realized he didn't want to do this anymore. His mother's whistle from the sidelines gave him butterflies, and a ball went flying over his head. His teammate rolled his eyes as Oliver chased it, then threw it towards the shortstop, the ball landing about twenty feet short. "Nice going, Oliver." Damien muttered, loud enough only for the people on the field to hear. His voice wasn't soft and encouraging like Mom's. His voice held the hint of a sneer, the words making Oliver feel sick. He needed to be done.

The good thing about hitting the ball during the game was that his Dad took them all out for ice cream. Dad told him he could get a sundae that was as large as his head, that he deserved it, but he couldn't eat it all. Mom laughed when dad offered to help, calling him a child while wiping Beth's face. But with the bustle and excitement of everyone there, his Dad's antics and his Mom's laughter, Beth squealing along, no one seemed to notice how quiet he was being. No one noticed that he wasn't laughing along, or that he ate less than usual, or that he didn't sing along when his favorite song played loudly in the small parlor.

He'd always been the quiet one. Mom told stories about him when he was a baby, and how he slept through the night by the time he was a month old, or how he seemed nervous to talk. And sometimes, when Mom asked him to do something, and he did it without questioning her, she wondered aloud where he had come from. It was when Alexis came over that he felt the most at peace. She was like him, quiet and polite, mostly calm, and the best stealthy laser tag partner.

When they got home, he hid from his Mom in his room, building a tower as tall as he could out of his Legos and ignoring the laughter from downstairs. As it got darker, he changed into pajamas and climbed into his bed, his favorite Doctor Who comic book in his hands, and he read it until his Mom tapped lightly on his door.

"Hey sweetheart. Big day today!" Her voice was soft and calming, which only made his butterflies increase their activity.

"Yeah." It was all he managed to get out, unable to even lift his eyes from his comic book to look at his Mom.

The mattress depressed next to him, and he felt his mother's fingers on his cheek, gentle and soothing as she tried to make him look at her. "You seem off, Ol. Is everything alright?"

He fought back tears as he prepared to answer, his heart beating in his ears. "No."

"What's wrong, Baby?"

"I can't tell you. You'll be sad." He sniffled.

The next thing he knew, her arms were pulling him into her, her hands running through his hair as she rocked him back and forth. "Well, right now you're sad, and that's more important." She pressed her lips to his hair, an audible smooch that had him pressing against her more, seeking comfort in her arms. "I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I hate baseball." The words were out of his mouth before he could filter them, and he braced himself for her retort.

He felt her take in a breath. "Okay."

"Okay?" He pushed back and looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time since they'd returned home.

Her hand brushed his cheek as she smiled, and leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "Of course it's okay. You are your own person, Oliver. You don't have to like something just because I do."

"I still like watching," he clarified, his butterflies gone as he watched her face soften, "I still want to go to games with you. I just don't want to play anymore."

Mom nodded, brushing her hair behind her ears as she thought. "I'm okay with that under one condition." She pulled him close and rocked him again, stuff she only did when he wouldn't like what she was about to say. "I need you to finish out the season."

"Mom! No! I don't want to!" His voice was high pitched as he pushed away from her, his arms crossing over his chest, anger boiling in his belly where the butterflies used to be.

"Oliver Jacob Castle, don't whine, you know better." He sighed at that, his arms squeezing tighter, but took a few deep breaths to try and calm down as she spoke. "You need to learn how to follow through. And you need to be a good teammate, even though you are planning on leaving. You have a month left, and I'll even make you a paper chain if you want one to help count down the days, but you need to finish the season. Then you can decide what you want to do with all your free time."

"Fine." Except it wasn't fine. Why should he be a good teammate when other boys weren't nice to him? Why couldn't he follow through with something he wanted to do? And what would a paper chain do other than taunt him with the remainder of his sentence on the baseball diamond? "I'll help make the paper chain."

Mom laughed, pressing a kiss to his head. "I appreciate it."

Oliver didn't hear her. Instead, his eyes had fallen on a picture on his wall, of him as a little boy before Beth was born, holding onto Mom' hands as they skated across the ice at Papa's cabin. "Could I play hockey instead?"

The question surprised him as much as it seemed to surprise her, and he laughed as her eyes grew wide. But slowly, she began to nod, her eyes finding the same picture he'd been looking at. "I think I could be a good hockey Mom, don't you?"

He chuckled, rolling his eyes at her. "Well yeah. You are a pretty great baseball Mom. How much harder could hockey be?"

She scrunched up her nose at him, her arms tightening around him again before she pushed herself off the bed, her balance thrown off by the extra weight of his baby brother or sister. The comic book found its way to his bedside table while Mom turned on the night light near his door. "I'll be the best hockey Mom you've ever seen." She leaned down to kiss him goodnight, and then left, closing the door softly behind her.

The month went by quicker than he thought it would, and he did his best to put on a happy face for his teammates. Mom and Dad did a lot of research to find the best hockey league for him to join. Soon his free time was taken up by skating drills, memorizing plays, and team bonding. Mom learned the playbook as well as he did, and Dad took him to free skates around the city, so he could work on some of his skills. And during the games, Mom was the loudest person there yelling at the refs and cheering them on. And Oliver had never been happier.

* * *

 _A/N: Prompt: Caskett's kid is scared to tell Kate he doesn't want to play baseball anymore._


	15. I wish I could hate you

_Prompt sent to my from Alyssa, Thank you! I set this pre-Caskett. Enjoy!_

36\. "I wish I could hate you."  
38\. "You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."

* * *

Undercover missions were his favorite. Especially when they involved secret poker games and Beckett speaking in an unrecognizable tongue.

He was supposed to play the clueless high-roller, Beckett's sugar daddy of sorts. The first part of that was easy. The unfamiliar language rolled easily off her tongue, and despite his trying to read body language, or pick out phrases, he truly was clueless about what was being said. The second part was harder. Her arms around him as she whispered Russian into his ear, parts of her pressed against him in ways he'd only imagined, well it was hard to pretend that this wasn't an everyday occurrence.

He threw more chips on the table, and asked the young girl serving them for another scotch. "And another martini for my good luck charm here!" He grinned as he pulled Beckett closer, hoping she could see the apologies in his eyes as he raked them up and down her body.

The river was being laid out as the server came back with their drinks, setting them down in front of everyone. Beckett sat on his lap, eyeing hers, her facade slipping for the smallest second as she decided whether or not it would be a good idea to drink another.

Oskar, their suspect, grunted, "vypit'," and pointed at the martini, his eyes studying her for longer than what was appropriate. She took another moment to look him in the eye as she threw back her drink, the internal struggle seemingly forgotten as the gin travelled down her throat.

She leaned into Castle again, speaking in accented English this time, her eyebrows raised as she glanced at his cards. "Raise. I need new shoes." She took a few red chips from his pile and threw them in the pot, her arms crossed defiantly across her chest as she dared the other men to continue.

Alexander, the potential accomplice, raised his eyebrows at Castle, his jaw steering in a disapproving way. "Who is playing, you or her? I deal her in, yes?"

Castle shrugged, his arm wrapped around Kate's waist. "I just do what the lady tells me, you know? Gotta keep her happy." But as he chuckled, the men they were watching looked on, faces unchanging, as Castle felt Beckett start to go limp in his arms. Without his arms around her, she would have fallen to the floor, but instead she fell forward, scattering the chips on the table as she landed, her hair obscuring her face.

Now Oskar and Alexander laughed, muttering to each other in the unfamiliar language, their tone sinister, sending chills down Castle's spine. He abandoned his cards to brush her hair out of her face, checking her breathing as he went, trying to relax as he spoke, not willing to get himself in more trouble yet. "Katja? Katja, what happened?" He met Oskar's eyes across the table, the man's face still not revealing anything, and Castle had to try not to speak louder over his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He attempted a chuckle, and he wondered if it sounded nearly as nervous to them as it did to them. "She usually hold her liquor better than this. Just a quick question. Did you guys add any apples to her martini? She's really allergic to apples, and I might need to get her epi pen." His hands made their way to her neck, feeling for a pulse.

"That won't help nice lady cop now." Castle froze as Oskar spoke, his heart pounding even faster, which he didn't think was even possible, and his hands came up to his head when he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. He could no longer hear Oskar's threats over his own thoughts, all the fears, regrets, and things he still wanted to accomplish.

His eyes closed as he prepared for the shot, but the bang he heard came from the door next to him, his ears registering the parade of feet before his eyes opened. "NYPD, drop the weapon, we've got you surrounded!" The sound of Esposito's voice had never been more welcome.

"Guys, I don't know what happened, she just fell over,"

"Don't worry, Castle, a bus is coming." The younger detective made his way to the table, and he dropped one hand from his gun to run two fingers over her neck, checking her pulse. Ryan turned his head as Espo and SWAT restrained the suspects, his blue eyes meeting Castle's. "You said "apples" twice, we figured it had to be bad."

"It was. Is. How long until that bus gets here?"

Ryan shrugged. "Another few minutes." At the younger detective's words, Castle stood, gathering his partner in his arms, her head resting heavily on his shoulder. "Castle, where are you going?"

"I'm taking her to the hospital myself."

He tried to get through the door, but Ryan had blocked his path, his hands resting on Castle's shoulders. "Listen, I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But we don't know what caused this, and we need you to get checked out too. The last thing we need is you passing out at the wheel on the way to the hospital." It had to be something she ingested. Did his clueless act fool anyone, or did he ingest the same poisons that she did? And as much as he wanted to get her seen now, the idea of passing out at the wheel and crashing only made him more nervous.

The new sirens outside cleared his thoughts, and he found himself pushing through the door again. "Fine, the bus is here anyway."

"Castle, you need to get checked out too."

"I'm fine! Just let me go!"

The calming hand on his back stopped his fighting, the older detective bolstering his weapon before facing him. "Castle, I can handle Beckett. Just get yourself checked out."

At Esposito's words, Castle paused. Of course they could take care of her. They'd had her back long before he ever did. Part of him worries that they might have been better inside, that they may have noticed something before he did. So even though he wanted to make sure she was alright, by following her to the hospital and never leaving her side, he handed her off to Esposito, watching her head loll backwards sharply, making her groan. "Beckett, we've got you, okay?" Esposito had reacted to her vocalization, shifting so that her head rested on his shoulder.

"Cas…" She struggled to form even half of his name, and her eyes wouldn't stay open, but she seemed to be coming to, and worried for his safety.

He ran his fingers through her hair, watching the worried wrinkles in her forehead disappear at the contact. "I'm here, Beckett. Just get yourself checked out, okay?" With that, Espo took off, climbing up the stairs two at a time to get to the paramedics.

Ryan barked orders at CSU, telling them to bag anything that had been consumed, and asking them to analyze the air for inhalants before escorting Castle upstairs and outside. They watched as one ambulance took off, Esposito watching it with arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. Castle climbed into the back of the other one, told them what had happened to his partner, and let them cart him away for additional testing.

* * *

If he'd downed his drink like she had, they might have died. He wouldn't have been able to say anything to get them out. At least, that's what the doctor told him. Which seemed to be the plan. Incapacitate the two cops, then slit their throats quietly, and escape. His doctor had gone on about dosages and body weights, explaining why Beckett was so much worse off than him, before releasing him with instructions to follow up with his primary care physician.

None of that mattered to him. Once he had the all clear, he made his way to the nurses' station, begging to know which room he could find his partner in. When he found the room, he felt himself let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Pale, but radiant as ever, Kate sat up in the hospital bed, a cup of water in her hand, her mouth stretching into a small smile as he approached. "You're okay." And in that moment, it didn't matter that she might be hurt, or that the table was in the way, or even that he might squish her, he just needed to feel her alive in his arms again. As his arms wrapped around her shoulders, he felt her burrow her head into the crook of his neck, her arms coming up to wrap around his midsection. And yes, her grip was still somewhat weak, her arms unable to squeeze him with the same ferocity, but her fingers wrapped in his shirt told him that she didn't want him going anywhere anytime soon. "You scared the shit out of me."

He heard her chuckle as she released his shirt, and he fell into the chair that sat on the side of her bed. "I'm fine, quit being so dramatic."

"Kate. You fainted." He scoffed, crossing his arms. "You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn't have to go to such extremes." He waggled his eyebrows at her, delighting as her grin grew, her eyes rolling back into her head.

"I hate you." She chewed her bottom lip after forcing the words out, her hazel eyes trained on him.

"You don't."

Her eyes squinted at his defiance. "I wish I could hate you."

"I'll give you that one." At that, she chuckled, her eyes brightening as they laughed, her head leaning back to rest against the bed. Castle took a moment to grab her hand, his thumb rubbing a soothing path over her wrist. "So maybe next time we bring our own drinks."

"Yes. But do you think that next time you can dress in the skimpy outfit? Because I'm getting tired of it."

He chuckled, squeezing her hand once more before returning his own back into his lap. "I'll bring it up to Iron Gates. Maybe she'll be into it."

Her nose scrunched at that, her shoulders coming up to her ears. "Gross." But despite her obvious discomfort, she was laughing, the sound infectious, making him follow along.

His phone rang, cutting through the racket they made, the picture on the ID reminding him that he had other obligations. But Kate's eyes were kind and understanding when met with his look of uncertainty. "I'll be fine. Talk to your daughter. Tell her we're okay."

"Right. We're okay." Because they were. She was conscious and breathing, he'd never passed out, and it wasn't the worst thing they'd been through. He got up, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead before making his way toward the door. "Until tomorrow, Detective."

"Goodnight, Castle."


End file.
